hypothetical

adjective

hy·​po·​thet·​i·​cal ˌhī-pə-ˈthe-ti-kəl 

: involving or being based on a suggested idea or theory : being or involving a hypothesis : conjectural

hypothetical arguments

a hypothetical situation

hypothetical noun

Synonyms

• academic
• academical
• conjectural
• speculative
• suppositional
• theoretical
• theoretic

Examples of hypothetical in a Sentence

She described a hypothetical case to clarify her point.

we talked about what we would do in various hypothetical emergencies

Recent Examples on the Web

Kuzma was posed that hypothetical Sunday night, after the loss to the Kings. —Josh Robbins, The Athletic, 20 Jan. 2025

The vast majority of cosmologists believe all of these phenomena can be explained through the presence of dark matter, a hypothetical form of matter that is massive, electrically neutral and hardly, if ever, interacts with normal matter. —Paul Sutter, Space.com, 20 Jan. 2025

When respondents were asked about a hypothetical match-up between Rep. Buddy Carter (R-Ga.) and Ossoff, the Democrat received 45 percent support while Carter received 32 percent. —Caroline Vakil, The Hill, 17 Jan. 2025

However, the hypothetical scenario of an invasion would galvanize Greenland's population and its international allies into a unified front, risking a swift and diplomatically disastrous conflict that would undermine U.S. credibility. —Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 17 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1588, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

hypothetical

adjective

hy·​po·​thet·​i·​cal ˌhi-pə-ˈthet-i-kəl 

1

: involving a hypothesis or the making of assumptions : assumed

2

: imagined for purposes of example

a hypothetical case

hypothetically

-i-k(ə-)lē 

adverb