conjectural

adjective

con·​jec·​tur·​al kən-ˈjek-chə-rəl How to pronounce conjectural (audio)
-ˈjek-shrəl
1
: of the nature of or involving or based on conjecture
Without evidence, his conclusions are only conjectural.
2
: given to conjectures
… a conjectural critic …Samuel Johnson
conjecturally adverb

Examples of conjectural in a Sentence

a necessarily conjectural account of Shakespeare's life, since there is so little hard information
Recent Examples on the Web That statistic is somewhat conjectural, since the vast majority of rapes in India are apparently not reported. Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 7 Nov. 2023 The change in perspective — from adolescent to academic — allows Knausgaard to expand the novel’s philosophical ambit to encompass evolution, the conjectural sentience of trees and the narrow scope of human comprehension. Charles Arrowsmith, Washington Post, 13 Sep. 2023 Who has Scooter Braun managed? Without confirmation from artists, their teams, or Braun himself, changes to Braun’s roster are conjectural. Massimo Marioni, Fortune, 24 Aug. 2023 Both of these Elizabeths are conjectural. Vulture, 8 Sep. 2022 That's still highly conjectural. Anchorage Daily News, 17 June 2020 Failure to prosecute leaders because of the conjectural risk to the system would create two systems of justice, with those in power never being held to the same standard as other wrongdoers. Andrew Weissmann, Variety, 1 Mar. 2023 The point of the black hole discussion is to get to the idea of a singularity, a conjectural point of infinite curvature and density. Sean Carroll, Discover Magazine, 7 Aug. 2011 The latter is actually somewhat conjectural in regards to archaeology. Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 21 Aug. 2012

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'conjectural.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

see conjecture entry 1

First Known Use

1553, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of conjectural was in 1553

Dictionary Entries Near conjectural

Cite this Entry

“Conjectural.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/conjectural. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

conjectural

adjective
con·​jec·​tur·​al kən-ˈjek-chə-rəl How to pronounce conjectural (audio)
-ˈjeksh-rəl
: being, involving, or based on conjecture
a conjectural interpretation
conjecturally
-rə-lē
adverb
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