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

For example, say your hypothetical mortgage payment is $2,500 while your rent is $2,000, Williams said. —Ana Teresa Solá, CNBC, 26 Nov. 2024

Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan and Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania garnered 38 percent and 37 percent of the hypothetical vote, respectively, to Trump’s 48 percent and 44 percent. —Tara Suter, The Hill, 26 Nov. 2024

The list of Trump's hypothetical second-term Cabinet and top officials is an intriguing mix of familiar allies, political figures and some unconventional picks. —Billal Rahman, Newsweek, 25 Nov. 2024

The fifth exercise, organized by the Planetary Defense Coordination Office, involved around 100 international government representatives working through a hypothetical scenario about an inbound asteroid. —Janet Loehrke, USA TODAY, 24 Nov. 2024

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