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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Recent Examples of speculative
Morgan Stanley Wealth Management’s chief investment officer, Lisa Shalett, issued a note to clients yesterday arguing that now may be the time to sell speculative tech stocks.
—
Jim Edwards, Fortune, 4 Nov. 2025
That’s especially true in speculative fiction.
—Jd Barker, Rolling Stone, 3 Nov. 2025
And speculative development, or building based on the assumption of future demand, isn’t a gamble developers are willing to make right now, DiSalvo said.
—Jennifer Van Grove, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Nov. 2025
Spirit does not seem to be financially sustainable and that might scare off other airlines except for a potential speculative lowball offer.
—Hugh Cameron, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for speculative
Jim Edwards, Fortune, 4 Nov. 2025
That’s especially true in speculative fiction.
—Jd Barker, Rolling Stone, 3 Nov. 2025
And speculative development, or building based on the assumption of future demand, isn’t a gamble developers are willing to make right now, DiSalvo said.
—Jennifer Van Grove, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Nov. 2025
Spirit does not seem to be financially sustainable and that might scare off other airlines except for a potential speculative lowball offer.
—Hugh Cameron, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for speculative
Recent Examples of Synonyms for speculative
Adjective
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They’re not allowed to take back more money than what is guaranteed to him in any such hypothetical trade.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
7 Nov. 2025
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Fifth, Stammen wasn’t my grand-slam hypothetical hire.—
Tom Krasovic,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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By modeling the physics behind this phenomenon, researchers discovered that the human hand’s sensitivity approaches the theoretical limit of what can be detected through mechanical reflections.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
7 Nov. 2025
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What Happens Next Some companies have experimented with shorter workweeks and reported gains in productivity and employee well-being, but the shift toward a widespread three-day or even four-day schedule is still largely theoretical.—
Alia Shoaib,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Projections of economic gains from major sporting events are typically optimistic, euphoric, chimerical or conjectural.—
Michael Hiltzik,
Los Angeles Times,
19 June 2025
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That statistic is somewhat conjectural, since the vast majority of rapes in India are apparently not reported.—
Mark Jenkins,
Washington Post,
7 Nov. 2023
Cite this Entry
“Speculative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/speculative. Accessed 27 Nov. 2025.
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