hypothetical
Other forms: hypotheticals
Everyone who has ever taken a science class knows the word "hypothesis," which means an idea, or a guess, that you are going to test through an experiment. A hypothetical is related to that. It means something based on an informed guess.
Hypotheticals are fun. How would you do in a hypothetical arm-wrestling competition against your Grandma? There are people in the Pentagon whose jobs are to consider all kinds of hypotheticals––what if Luxembourg armed itself with nuclear weapons? What if France developed the ability to pelt Switzerland with cannons firing cheeses?
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a hypothetical possibility, circumstance, statement, proposal, situation, etc.“consider the following, just as a hypothetical”type of:hypothesis, possibility, theorya tentative insight into the natural world; a concept that is not yet verified but that if true would explain certain facts or phenomena
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based primarily on surmise rather than adequate evidence“hypothetical situation”synonyms: circumstantial, conjectural, divinatory, hypothetic, supposed, suppositional, suppositious, supposititioustheoretic, theoreticalconcerned primarily with theories or hypotheses rather than practical considerations
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Vocabulary lists containing hypothetical
Persuade yourself to study this list of words related to argumentative writing. You'll learn all about making claims, supporting arguments with evidence, and maintaining an objective tone. It's no fallacy that reviewing these words will improve your credibility as a writer.
Take our word for it, the English language has many ways to describe things that might, or might not, be. For more synonym lists, explore our Say What You Mean resources.
How can you perform well on the reading section of the SAT if you don’t fully understand the language being used in the directions and in the questions? Learn this list of 25 words that are based on our analysis of the words likely to appear in question stems, answer options, and test directions. Following our Roadmap to the SAT? Head back to see what else you should be learning this week.