HYPOTHETICAL Synonyms: 89 Similar and Opposite Words

hypothetical 1 of 2

adjective

ˌhī-pə-ˈthe-ti-kəl

Definition of hypothetical

as in theoretical

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

hypothetical

2 of 2

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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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of hypothetical

Adjective

Evidence suggests that this isn’t merely a hypothetical risk. — Shekhar Iyer, Forbes.com, 20 Oct. 2026 Buck had the opportunity to convert both his timeless tickets, including putting one toward a hypothetical Game 7. — Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 19 Oct. 2026

Noun

His second-guessing doesn’t stanch his inner torrent of bile, which continues through dinner with Irène and her mother, and goes on for another fifteen pages of emotional hypotheticals and conditionals. — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 9 July 2026 With that in mind, let’s run through some of those hypotheticals that Zito will be facing — and has been facing — as free agency looms. — Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 28 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for hypothetical

Recent Examples of Synonyms for hypothetical

Adjective

For now, the research work establishes a theoretical possibility under restrictive conditions, not evidence that any black hole has ever been divided into two.

— Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 25 Oct. 2026
Such scenarios may become more common as militaries continue to deploy a once-theoretical technology — AI-assisted or autonomous weapons, capable of making both targeting and launch decisions on their own — on real battlefields around the globe.

— Kylie Jones, Vox, 25 Oct. 2026

Definition of theoretical

Adjective

Those concerns stretch across the realities of AI’s growth today and more speculative possibilities raised by some technologists and whistle-blowers.

— Danya Gainor, CNN Money, 20 Oct. 2026
Yet, as in many speculative markets, sophisticated participants often have access to better information, stronger analytical tools and more advanced risk-management techniques than retail participants, giving them an informational edge.

— Aneri Jambusaria, Fortune, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of speculative

Noun

Pike didn’t always have such a cogent theory of the power of the body in performance.

— Sarah Crompton, Vogue, 21 Oct. 2026
The idea that the absence of private property and systematic inequality automatically removes coercion—which forms the core of the Marxist theory of history—is not proven.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of theory

Noun

Five years later the scientist published a hypothesis that went down in history as Kepler’s conjecture.

— Manon Bischoff, Scientific American, 27 Oct. 2026
Their science fair projects – a bird feeder and a device producing the smoothest smoothies – were also crafted with AI assistance after developing their own hypotheses and plans.

— Dalia Faheid, CNN Money, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of hypothesis

Browse Nearby Words

hypothesizing

hypothetical

hypotheticals

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Style

“Hypothetical.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hypothetical. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of hypothetical

adjective

noun

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