speculative

adjective

spec·​u·​la·​tive ˈspe-kyə-lə-tiv 

-ˌlā-

1

: involving, based on, or constituting intellectual speculation

also : theoretical rather than demonstrable

speculative knowledge

2

: marked by questioning curiosity

gave him a speculative glance

3

: of, relating to, or being a financial speculation

speculative stocks

speculative venture

speculatively adverb

Synonyms

• academic
• academical
• conjectural
• hypothetical
• suppositional
• theoretical
• theoretic

Examples of speculative in a Sentence

His conclusions are highly speculative.

a writer with a speculative mind

a speculative boom in housing construction

Recent Examples on the Web

Cox had a reputation for yelling slurs at girls out of the window of his Chevy, an unsavory fact that ballooned into motive in speculative conversations. —Jessica Garrison, Los Angeles Times, 18 Dec. 2024

These developments will likely work to mitigate risks of investing in a speculative asset, inviting more players into the market - and this is already happening. —Trefis Team, Forbes, 17 Dec. 2024

Some states such as Maryland passed laws recently to completely outlaw speculative tickets. —Ethan Millman, Rolling Stone, 17 Dec. 2024

Any financial instruments mentioned herein are speculative in nature and may involve risk to principal and interest. —Katie Stockton, CNBC, 16 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing speculative

• anti-speculative

Kids Definition

speculative

adjective

spec·​u·​la·​tive ˈspek-yə-lət-iv 

-ˌlāt-

1

a

: of or relating to mental speculation

speculative knowledge

b

: curious sense 1

a speculative glance

2

: of or relating to financial speculation

speculatively adverb

Legal Definition

speculative

adjective

spec·​u·​la·​tive ˈspe-kyə-lə-tiv, -ˌlā- 

1

: involving, based on, or constituting intellectual speculation

also : theoretical rather than demonstrable

speculative medical testimony concerning the cause of death

2

: of, relating to, or being a financial speculation

speculative securities

speculative home building

speculatively adverb