SPECULATIVE Synonyms: 50 Similar and Opposite Words

speculative

adjective

ˈspe-kyə-lə-tiv

Definition of speculative

as in hypothetical

existing only as an assumption or speculation a speculative explanation of why this ancient pottery was found hundreds of miles from where it was made

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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 speculative Terraforming remains a distant and deeply speculative prospect beset by enormous scientific and engineering challenges. — Lee Billings, Scientific American, 15 Oct. 2026 Douthat himself describes this project as speculative historical fiction, and the data-dumping, supplemental world-building documents are certainly dense with history and archangels. — James Folta, Literary Hub, 14 Oct. 2026 The author’s latest speculative dystopian fiction features parallel universes that explore alternate realities — and doppelgangers that stumble between the two. — Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 12 Oct. 2026 The building, the paper said, reflected how big the speculative side of the oil trade had become. — Brian C. Black, The Conversation, 9 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for speculative

Recent Examples of Synonyms for speculative

Adjective

Amazon has a hypothetical $50 billion chip business and can offer a roadmap to immense profitability.

— Jim Cramer, CNBC, 25 Oct. 2026
And there is still a hypothetical risk, election experts say, that the President could do something new and outlandishly lawless on or close to Election Day.

— Barton Gellman, New Yorker, 25 Oct. 2026

Definition of hypothetical

Adjective

Drawing on the theoretical work of economist Hyman Minsky, Kindleberger went through centuries of economic history and saw a recurring pattern.

— Greg Rosalsky, NPR, 20 Oct. 2026
There are scores of results across not just number theory but also geometry and theoretical computer science that the proofs of quasi-Riemann will, in a swift stroke, establish as mathematical truths.

— Quanta Magazine, Quanta Magazine, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of theoretical

Browse Nearby Words

speculations

speculative

speculator

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

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Synonyms of speculative

adjective

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