speculative
Americanadjective
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pertaining to, of the nature of, or characterized by speculation, contemplation, conjecture, or abstract reasoning.
a speculative approach.
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theoretical, rather than practical.
speculative conclusions.
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given to speculation, as persons, the mind, etc.
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of the nature of or involving commercial or financial speculation.
speculative ventures.
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engaging in or given to such speculation.
adjective
Other Word Forms
- antispeculative adjective
- antispeculatively adverb
- antispeculativeness noun
- hyperspeculative adjective
- hyperspeculatively adverb
- hyperspeculativeness noun
- nonspeculative adjective
- nonspeculatively adverb
- nonspeculativeness noun
- overspeculative adjective
- overspeculatively adverb
- overspeculativeness noun
- semispeculative adjective
- semispeculatively adverb
- semispeculativeness noun
- speculatively adverb
- speculativeness noun
- unspeculative adjective
Etymology
Origin of speculative
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English word from Late Latin word speculātīvus. See speculate, -ive
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.
Chief among them was the huge speculative froth that had developed in the earlier part of the year when gold recorded an intraday peak of $5,626 near the end of January.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 2, 2026
Japan’s top currency diplomat Atsushi Mimura warned of “decisive action” against speculative moves driving the yen’s decline near 160 to the dollar.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 30, 2026
And rather than the 2026 World Cup, the revenue associated with co-hosting Euro 2028 was deemed to justify the speculative approach.
From BBC • Mar. 27, 2026
“Getting $4 billion for the SV-F route from a speculative financial instrument is just a Hail Mary pass,” a member of the Beverly Grove neighborhood association said in public comments.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 26, 2026
All of this is speculative, to say the least, and may well be wrong.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
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.
