as in theoretic
existing only as an assumption or speculation
we talked about what we would do in various hypothetical emergencies
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in assumption
something taken as being true or factual and used as a starting point for a course of action or reasoning
believes that predictions of the extinction of certain species as the result of global warming are based upon too many hypotheticals
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Recent Examples of hypothetical
Andrew McKean, Outdoor Life, 10 Jan. 2025
TikTok says the national security concerns are based on inaccurate and hypothetical information.
—Lindsay Whitehurst, Chicago Tribune, 10 Jan. 2025
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
See all Example Sentences for hypothetical 
Adjective
To what extent do Idaho big-game hunters support hypothetical strategies to address emerging management issues associated with the use of advanced modern technology to harvest big game?
—Andrew McKean, Outdoor Life, 10 Jan. 2025
TikTok says the national security concerns are based on inaccurate and hypothetical information.
—Lindsay Whitehurst, Chicago Tribune, 10 Jan. 2025
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
See all Example Sentences for hypothetical
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hypothetical
Noun
-
Maryland’s green energy plan assumptions are a fantasy.—
David T. Stevenson,
Baltimore Sun,
22 Jan. 2025
-
Use data to challenge assumptions, validate decisions and guide strategy.—
Mark Kane,
Forbes,
22 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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The meltdown of the office market in the years after the coronavirus outbreak, however, rendered a speculative office development unfeasible.—
George Avalos,
The Mercury News,
28 Jan. 2025
-
Or does its unlikely real-world utility qualify it as an art project, meant to exist mostly in the realm of the speculative, or of aspirational ideals?—
Oskar Oprey,
Artforum,
28 Jan. 2025
Noun
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The theory dates to An Emerging Democratic Majority, an influential 2002 book by political scientists John B. Judis and Ruy Teixeira.—
Jane Hong / Made by History,
TIME,
24 Jan. 2025
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All three men were national and international icons whose assassinations — and the theories swirling around them — became the stuff of books, movies, controversy, and the pages of history itself.—
Michael Loria,
USA TODAY,
24 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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For the past two years the setting has been 90 seconds to midnight, with midnight meaning the theoretical annihilation of humanity, by design or by mistake.—
Elizabeth Weise,
USA TODAY,
28 Jan. 2025
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Last year, in a study (opens a new tab) that was presented at the Foundations of Computer Science conference in Chicago, a team of seven researchers described a way to organize items that comes tantalizingly close to the theoretical ideal.—
Steve Nadis,
Quanta Magazine,
24 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
Autonomous agents can analyze vast datasets, generate hypotheses and assist researchers in making breakthroughs.—
Michele Zanello,
Rolling Stone,
28 Jan. 2025
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The analysis supported the hypothesis that there are different origins for repeating and non-repeating FRBs.—
Ars Technica,
Ars Technica,
22 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near hypothetical
Cite this Entry
“Hypothetical.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hypothetical. Accessed 5 Feb. 2025.
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