conjecture

²con·jec·ture

verb \kən-ˈjek-chər\

con·jec·turedcon·jec·tur·ing \-ˈjek-chə-riŋ, -ˈjek-shriŋ\

Definition of CONJECTURE

transitive verb

1

: to arrive at or deduce by surmise or guesswork : guess <scientists conjecturing that a disease is caused by a defective gene>

2

: to make conjectures (see ¹conjecture)as to <conjecture the meaning of a statement>

intransitive verb

: to form conjectures(see ¹conjecture)

— con·jec·tur·er \-ˈjek-chər-ər\ noun

Examples of CONJECTURE

1. Some have conjectured that the distant planet could sustain life.
2. We only conjecture about his motives.
3. It is fashionable now to conjecture that the Big Bang was caused by a random quantum fluctuation in a vacuum devoid of space and time. —Martin Gardner, Skeptical Inquirer, November/December 1998
4. … their traces left for future archaeologists to rediscover and perhaps to wonder or conjecture over. —Jane Jacobs, Cities and the Wealth of Nations, 1984
5. I am anxious to conjecture beforehand what may be expected from the sowing turneps [sic] in jaded ground, how much from the acre, & how large they will be? —Thomas Jefferson, letter, 29 Dec. 1794
6. Despairing of assistance and protection from below (as they foolishly conjecture) they talk of capitulating and coming upon terms with the French and Indians … —George Washington, 24 Apr. 1776, in The Papers of George Washington, 1984

Origin of CONJECTURE

(see ¹conjecture)

First Known Use: 15th century

Related to CONJECTURE

Synonyms: calculate, call, estimate, figure, gauge (also gage), guess, judge, make, place, put, reckon, suppose

Related Words: conclude, deduce, extrapolate, gather, infer, reason, understand

Near Antonyms: calibrate, measure, scale; compute, work out

see all synonyms and antonyms

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