hypothetically

adverb

hy·​po·​thet·​i·​cal·​ly ˌhī-pə-ˈthe-ti-k(ə-)lē 

: by making an assumption for the sake of discussion or argument : in a hypothetical way

speaking hypothetically

In this lucid report … he uses genetic differences, maps, computer simulations and an analysis of linguistic changes in the world's languages to hypothetically reconstruct the mass migrations of people across continents since modern humans first appeared.

—Genevieve Stuttaford

We asked ourselves hypothetically: If the chairmen of the boards of these major tobacco companies walked in here today and said, "Okay, we're ready to do a deal," what did we want?

—Lewis H. Lapham

—used to suggest what is theoretically possible

Hypothetically, you could use a computer to synthesize a large number of harmonics, add them back together, and reproduce a sound similar to that of the bowed violin string.

—Dragan Huterer

Examples of hypothetically in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In an interview with Regan recorded in 2006 and airing 12 years later, Simpson hypothetically described disposing of bloody clothes and getting the knife used in the murders from a friend named Charlie. —Jessica Sager, Peoplemag, 11 Apr. 2024

That study found that bisexual women had the same orgasm pursuit and importance regardless of partner gender in the hypothetical scenario, but those partnered with women in those cases had higher expectations for clitoral stimulation and orgasms than those hypothetically partnered with men. —Jo Yurcaba, NBC News, 9 Apr. 2024

Cybersecurity experts say Chinese laws require ByteDance to cooperate with that country’s intelligence demands — a fact that, given ByteDance’s ownership of TikTok, could hypothetically put US user data at risk. —Brian Fung, CNN, 26 Mar. 2024

The scientific applications of being able to implant genes for bioluminescence into other creatures are formidable: They could hypothetically be used to visualize tumor growth in lab animals, or insulin activity. —Zoë Schlanger, The Atlantic, 19 Mar. 2024

Efficient transit in the neighborhood would reduce the need to include as much parking in his future multi-family buildings, transforming them from, hypothetically, 150-unit buildings to 450-unit buildings. —Kayla Dwyer, The Indianapolis Star, 27 Feb. 2024

But, hypothetically, what if your unique polarization signature gets out there? —Julian Chokkattu, WIRED, 26 Feb. 2024

Proving that water actually exists could hypothetically be done in many ways. —Elizabeth Rayne, Ars Technica, 9 Jan. 2024

The researchers then performed an analysis to determine—hypothetically—when rapid tests would be most sensitive among this group of people, in part by using something called a single molecule array test to look at antigen concentrations. —Alyssa Hui, Verywell Health, 22 Jan. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1593, in the meaning defined above