as in theoretic
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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Recent Examples of speculative
That futuristic prize is one reason politicians and planners are paying attention, even though workable helium-3 fusion reactors remain, for now, speculative.
—
Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 24 Sep. 2025
The next phase of crypto's growth won't revolve around sleek marketing or speculative manias.
—Annabelle Huang, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Sep. 2025
The Bulwark has held talks in recent months with outlets including Crooked Media about partnerships and even potential consolidation, though people involved cautioned that the discussions were mostly friendly and speculative.
—Max Tani, semafor.com, 22 Sep. 2025
After years of speculative frenzy fueled by easy credit and margin buying (the mechanism that let investors borrow heavily), the catalyst was a fraud scandal in London that exposed market vulnerabilities.
—Steve Booren, Denver Post, 21 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for speculative
Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 24 Sep. 2025
The next phase of crypto's growth won't revolve around sleek marketing or speculative manias.
—Annabelle Huang, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Sep. 2025
The Bulwark has held talks in recent months with outlets including Crooked Media about partnerships and even potential consolidation, though people involved cautioned that the discussions were mostly friendly and speculative.
—Max Tani, semafor.com, 22 Sep. 2025
After years of speculative frenzy fueled by easy credit and margin buying (the mechanism that let investors borrow heavily), the catalyst was a fraud scandal in London that exposed market vulnerabilities.
—Steve Booren, Denver Post, 21 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for speculative
Recent Examples of Synonyms for speculative
Adjective
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In a rare turn for Chinese tech, Alibaba is leaning heavily into superintelligence — a hypothetical AI system surpassing human intellect — mirroring efforts by US firms like OpenAI and Meta.—
semafor.com,
semafor.com,
29 Sep. 2025
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However, when major rivals are removed from hypothetical matchups, Mamdani’s lead narrows, especially against Cuomo, indicating anti-Mamdani voters could consolidate if the race dynamics shift.—
Deputy News Editor,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Numerical simulations and a theoretical quantum model validated the experimental results, confirming that the two phonon modes were indeed in the ultrastrong coupling regime.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
30 Sep. 2025
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In a country where disabled people are overrepresented in jails and prisons, psychiatric institutions and police encounters, this isn’t just theoretical.—
Kate Caldwell,
Mercury News,
30 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Speculative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/speculative. Accessed 2 Oct. 2025.
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