hypothetical
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.
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.
Logic.
(of a proposition) highly conjectural; not well supported by available evidence.
(of a proposition or syllogism) conditional (def. 3).
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.
a hypothetical situation, instance, etc.: The Secretary of Defense refused to discuss hypotheticals with the reporters.
Origin of hypothetical
1Other words for hypothetical
Other words from hypothetical
- hy·po·thet·i·cal·ly, adverb
- un·hy·po·thet·i·cal, adjective
Words Nearby hypothetical
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use hypothetical in a sentence
Many were unwilling to bear the present-day cost of preparing for future hypotheticals.
COVID-19 and climate change expose the dangers of unstable supply chains | matthewheimer | August 27, 2020 | FortuneFor example, says Pérez Ríos, positronium’s energy levels could be affected by a hypothetical axion-like particle.
A measurement of positronium’s energy levels confounds scientists | Emily Conover | August 24, 2020 | Science NewsMany of these ideas attempt to recast gravity in the language of quantum mechanics, where hypothetical particles called gravitons carry the gravitational force.
Titled “What I would do with GPT-3 if I had no ethics,” it described his process as a hypothetical.
A college kid’s fake, AI-generated blog fooled tens of thousands. This is how he made it. | Karen Hao | August 14, 2020 | MIT Technology ReviewThe XENON1T team suggested that the low-energy events could be due to solar axions, hypothetical particles with no electric charge that could be produced in the sun.
An unexpected result from a dark matter experiment may signal new particles | Emily Conover | June 17, 2020 | Science News
Not because she disagrees with a hypothetical future president, or because she simply likes the robe.
It's a long trip, to be sure, illustrated here with the hypothetical slang "couch."
A hypothetical history of how words become part of the colloquial lexicon.
Really, that fear factor is an indictment of who we are—not an indictment of some hypothetical alien species.
But Jamelle,” asks a hypothetical objector, “How would we keep government spending in check?
He called them all "Mister," and occasionally flattered them by presenting a hypothetical case for their consideration.
A Hoosier Chronicle | Meredith NicholsonIn the preceding example the two together form a complete and consistent, though hypothetical, explanation of the facts concerned.
A System of Logic: Ratiocinative and Inductive | John Stuart MillIt was a hypothetical condition which he had never even considered.
The Daffodil Mystery | Edgar WallaceWe must besides remark that the meaning of the lines is purely hypothetical.
My Recollections of Lord Byron | Teresa GuiccioliThis is a matter which I cannot discuss further, more especially in view of the fact that the whole idea is too hypothetical.
The Sexual Life of the Child | Albert Moll
British Dictionary definitions for hypothetical
hypothetic
/ (ˌhaɪpəˈθɛtɪkəl) /
having the nature of a hypothesis
assumed or thought to exist
logic another word for conditional (def. 4)
existing only as an idea or concept: a 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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