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hypothetical

[ hahy-puh-thet-i-kuhl ]
/ ˌhaɪ pəˈθɛt ɪ kəl /
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See synonyms for: hypothetical / hypothetically on Thesaurus.com

adjective Also hy·po·thet·ic [hahy-puh-thet-ik] /ˌhaɪ pəˈθɛt ɪk/ (for defs. 1-4).

assumed by hypothesis; supposed: a hypothetical case.
of, pertaining to, involving, or characterized by hypothesis: hypothetical reasoning.
given to making hypotheses.
Logic.
  1. (of a proposition) highly conjectural; not well supported by available evidence.
  2. (of a proposition or syllogism) conditional.

noun

a hypothetical situation, instance, etc.: The Secretary of Defense refused to discuss hypotheticals with the reporters.

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Origin of hypothetical

First recorded in 1580–90; from Greek hypothetik(ós) “supposed” (hypo- hypo- + the- “put” (base of tithénai “to put, do”) + -tikos -tic) + -al1

OTHER WORDS FROM hypothetical

hy·po·thet·i·cal·ly, adverbun·hy·po·thet·i·cal, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Words related to hypothetical

problematic, speculative, vague, imaginary, theoretical, debatable, academic, suspect, contingent, pretending, casual, conditional, conjectural, disputable, doubtful, equivocal, imagined, indefinite, indeterminate, presumptive

Example sentences from the Web for hypothetical

British Dictionary definitions for hypothetical

hypothetical

hypothetic

/ (ˌhaɪpəˈθɛtɪkəl) /

adjective

having the nature of a hypothesis
assumed or thought to exist
logic another word for conditional (def. 4)
existing only as an idea or concepta time machine is a hypothetical device

Derived forms of hypothetical

hypothetically, adverb
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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