hypothetical

American  

[hahy-puh-thet-i-kuhl] / ˌhaɪ pəˈθɛt ɪ kəl /

adjective

1. assumed or entertained as a theoretical possibility, invented example, premise for argument’s sake, etc.; supposed.

   In the hypothetical case that you miss your flight or it is delayed, you will need a contingency plan.

   Synonyms:

   speculative, theoretical, supposition, academic

2. relating to or characterized by the use of assumptions for argument’s sake or of provisional, informed conjectures to guide investigation.

   Science depends on hypothetical reasoning.

3. Logic.

   1. (of a proposition) highly conjectural; not well supported by available evidence.

   2. (of a proposition or syllogism) conditional.

4. tending to resort to theoretical assumptions, conditional propositions, invented examples, etc., especially unrealistic ones; speculative.

   His stuff is fun to read, but he’s so hypothetical I can’t take him seriously.

   Stop the worry spiral in your mind before your thoughts become too hypothetical.

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noun

• hypotheticals
  plural

1. a hypothetical situation, instance, etc..

   The Secretary of Defense refused to discuss hypotheticals with the reporters.

hypothetical British  

/ ˌhaɪpəˈθɛtɪkəl /

adjective

1. having the nature of a hypothesis

2. assumed or thought to exist

3. logic another word for conditional

4. existing only as an idea or concept

   a time machine is a hypothetical device

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• unhypothetical
  adjective
• hypothetically
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• hypotheticals
  plural

Etymology

Origin of hypothetical

First recorded in 1580–90; from Greek hypothetik(ós) “supposed” ( hypo- hypo- + the- “placed, put,” base of tithénai “to place, put, set”) + -tikos -tic ) + -al ¹

Explanation

Everyone who has ever taken a science class knows the word "hypothesis," which means an idea, or a guess, that you are going to test through an experiment. A hypothetical is related to that. It means something based on an informed guess. Hypotheticals are fun. How would you do in a hypothetical arm-wrestling competition against your Grandma? There are people in the Pentagon whose jobs are to consider all kinds of hypotheticals––what if Luxembourg armed itself with nuclear weapons? What if France developed the ability to pelt Switzerland with cannons firing cheeses?

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

hypothetical hypotheticals

But for the sake of Sunday Funday, the actor, director and screenwriter gave us a hypothetical Sunday where they actually leave their house.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026

And in one sense the researchers’ finding is too good to be true, since they reported that this hypothetical portfolio had an alpha close to zero after paying the stocks’ sky-high borrow costs.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 27, 2026

Dark Stars are hypothetical primordial stars that would receive much of their energy from heating associated with dark matter instead of relying primarily on ordinary nuclear fusion.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 27, 2026

The United States hasn’t necessarily experienced a water cybersecurity disaster, but worst-case scenarios are more tangible than hypothetical.

From Slate ● Aug. 19, 2026

And then my robot heart decides to do something—the kind of something that would be enjoyed by a hypothetical girl-I- would-like.

From "Will Grayson, Will Grayson" by John Green and David Levithan

People who deal in hypotheticals and emotions are generally unswayed by facts.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 23, 2026

Healey said he would not speculate on "hypotheticals" when pressed on whether he could rule out UK involvement in further strikes.

From BBC ● Mar. 1, 2026

Justice Neil Gorsuch tested that argument with hypotheticals.

From Slate ● Jan. 14, 2026

Gabbard's new assessment was heavy on hypotheticals, with the spy chief saying Iran could "produce a nuclear weapon within weeks to months, if they decide to finalize the assembly."

From Salon ● Jun. 22, 2025

In the evenings at our apartment, he rehearsed for every outcome, immersing himself in hypotheticals the rest of us found bizarre.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

Related Words

• debatable
• imaginary
• problematic
• speculative
• theoretical
• vague