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

In a hypothetical exercise, writers at The Athletic covering teams that could be interested in Hill came up with four potential trade offers, and national NFL writer Mike Jones provided an answer from the Dolphins. —The Athletic Nfl Staff, The Athletic, 8 Jan. 2025

These harms are inextricable from the idea of superintelligence, because experts do not currently know how to align these hypothetical systems with human values. —Tharin Pillay, TIME, 8 Jan. 2025

Combating The Threat Clearly, GPS spoofing is no longer a hypothetical problem, nor one limited to far-off zones of conflict. —Eric Updyke, Forbes, 8 Jan. 2025

These issues aren’t merely historical or hypothetical. —Alec Nevala-Lee, The Atlantic, 7 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