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Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

hy·po·thet·i·cal

Audio Help [hahy-puh-thet-i-kuh

l] Pronunciation Key

–adjective

1.	assumed by hypothesis; supposed: a hypothetical case.

2.	of, pertaining to, involving, or characterized by hypothesis: hypothetical reasoning.

3.	given to making hypotheses.

Logic.

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

b.	(of a proposition or syllogism) conditional.

–noun

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

Also, hy·po·thet·ic (for defs. 1–4).

[Origin: 1580–90; < Gk hypothetik(ós) supposed (hypo- hypo- + the- put (base of tithénai to put, do¹) + -tikos -tic) + -al¹

]

—Related forms

hy·po·thet·i·cal·ly, adverb

—Synonyms 1. suppositional, theoretical, speculative.

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
hypothetical

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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

hy·po·thet·i·cal Audio Help (hī'pə-thět'ĭ-kəl) Pronunciation Key
adj.

Of, relating to, or based on a hypothesis: a hypothetical situation. See Synonyms at theoretical.
1. Suppositional; uncertain. See Synonyms at supposed.
2. Conditional; contingent.

n. A hypothetical circumstance, condition, scenario, or situation: OK, let's consider this possibility then—just as a hypothetical.

[From Greek hupothetikos, from hupothetos, placed under, supposed, from hupotithenai, to suppose; see hypothesis.]

hy'po·thet'i·cal n., hy'po·thet'i·cal·ly adv.

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WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This

hypothetical
adjective
1.	based primarily on surmise rather than adequate evidence; "theories about the extinction of dinosaurs are still highly conjectural"; "the supposed reason for his absence"; "suppositious reconstructions of dead languages"; "hypothetical situation" [syn: conjectural]
noun
1.	a hypothetical possibility, circumstance, statement, proposal, situation, etc.; "consider the following, just as a hypothetical"

Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
hypothetical [haipəˈθetikəl] adjective

imaginary; supposed

Arabic:	إفْتِراضي
Chinese (Simplified):	假设的
Chinese (Traditional):	假設的
Czech:	hypotetický; předpokládaný
Danish:	hypotetisk
Dutch:	hypothetisch, voorondersteld
Estonian:	hüpoteetiline
Finnish:	hypoteettinen
French:	hypothétique
German:	hypothetisch
Greek:	υποθετικός
Hungarian:	feltételes
Icelandic:	reistur á tilgátu, *ímyndaðri forsendu
Indonesian:	hipotetis
Italian:	ipotetico

Japanese:	仮定の
Korean:	가설의
Latvian:	hipotētisks
Lithuanian:	hipotetinis
Polish:	hipotetyczny
Portuguese (Brazil):	hipotético
Portuguese (Portugal):	hipotético
Romanian:	ipotetic
Russian:	гипотетический
Slovak:	hypotetický
Slovenian:	domneven
Spanish:	hipotético
Swedish:	hypotetisk
Turkish:	hipotetik, varsayıma dayalı