hypothetical
Americanadjective
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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
-
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.
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Logic.
-
(of a proposition) highly conjectural; not well supported by available evidence.
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(of a proposition or syllogism) conditional.
-
-
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.
noun
adjective
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having the nature of a hypothesis
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assumed or thought to exist
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logic another word for conditional
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existing only as an idea or concept
a time machine is a hypothetical device
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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?
Vocabulary lists containing hypothetical
Argumentative Writing
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Words That Could Go Either Way: Synonyms for "Maybe"
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The SAT: Language of the Test, List 6
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Even though it remains to be seen how a hypothetical deal would be structured, Seaport Research’s Jay Goldberg was cautious about this sort of arrangement.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026
With the UAE, such relationships have moved far beyond the hypothetical.
From Slate ● Jul. 22, 2026
Mikko offered a hypothetical: a manufacturer, he said, could ship a car to Finland without its side mirrors and attach them locally, just enough to make it seem assembled there and dodge the tariff.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026
Unlike the black holes created by collapsing stars, these hypothetical objects could range in size from something as small as an asteroid to much larger bodies.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 3, 2026
Dijksterhuis drew up a description of four hypothetical cars and gave the performance of each of them in four different categories.
From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell
“A.I. embodies hypotheticals I can only imagine for myself,” she wrote for the Atlantic in 2024.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 13, 2026
People who deal in hypotheticals and emotions are generally unswayed by facts.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 23, 2026
Kennedy floated increasingly abstract hypotheticals, asking whether restrictions could apply to books or satellite-transmitted e-books.
From Slate ● Oct. 21, 2025
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
The irrealis mood is found in many languages, where it expresses situations that are not known to have happened, including hypotheticals, imperatives, and questions.
From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
