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From the M-W Editors
conjecture was our Word of the Day on 10/06/2012. Hear the podcast!
Theme music by Joshua Stamper ©2006 New Jerusalem Music/ASCAP
Examples of conjecture in a Sentence
- Whether Columbus brought syphilis to the New World—or to the Old World—has been the subject of conjecture for at least 500 years. —Carl Zimmer, Science, 11 May 2001
- … their voices rose in a chorus of conjecture and alarm, repeating the selfsame remark: "What is she going to do? I mean, is Betty going to faint?" —Edna O'Brien, New Yorker, 1 Jan. 1990
- The reason why the French with superior man-power and American resources were doing so poorly was not beyond all conjecture. —Barbara W. Tuchman, The March of Folly, 1984
- Peculiar features of early maps, which may have been nothing but a draftsman's whimsy, have inspired pages of vain conjecture. —Samuel Eliot Morison, The European Discovery of America, 1971
The biography includes conjectures about the writer's earliest ambitions.
a conjecture about the extent of the injury
Most of the book is conjecture, not fact.
Recent Examples of conjecture from the Web
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Current FPI - ESPN's preferred metric for measuring college football teams, purely based on conjecture going into a new season - is heavily factored into program power and rivalry dominance.
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Thursday, during an appearance on WQAM, Heat captain Udonis Haslem, who, like Wade, began his NBA career with the Heat in 2003, addressed the latest Wade conjecture.
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But again, this is all just conjecture and speculation.
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Any other post and/or chatter are from fan pages that are enthusiastically awaiting the launch and are unofficial and conjecture about the launch.
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Of course, this is all conjecture at this point—but a quote Harington gave to Entertainment Weekly about Jon and Daenerys' first encounter certainly adds fuel to the fire.
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Recent speculation, however, has centered on a bold, albeit controversial, conjecture that Earhart and her navigator, Fred Noonan, may have survived that crash landing in the Pacific Ocean in 1937.
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There have been months—nearly an entire goddamn year—of conjecture based on things as trivial as what Emilia Clarke was wearing while filming a CGI dragon scene.
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The one thing I am focused on is a very interesting and unknown result of the twin prime conjecture.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'conjecture.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of conjecture
Middle English, from Middle French or Latin; Middle French, from Latin conjectura, from conjectus, past participle of conicere, literally, to throw together, from com- + jacere to throw — more at jet
conjecture Synonyms
Synonyms
guess, shot, supposition, surmise, shot in the darkRelated Words
hypothesis, hypothetical, theory, thesis; dead reckoning, guessing, guesswork, speculation; hunch, intuition; belief, faithOther Logic Terms
Definition of conjecture
conjectured;
conjecturing
play
\kən-ˈjek-chə-riŋ, -ˈjek-shriŋ\
transitive verb
2
:to make conjectures as to
- conjecture the meaning of a statement
intransitive verb
:to form conjectures
Examples of conjecture in a Sentence
- 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
- 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
- … their traces left for future archaeologists to rediscover and perhaps to wonder or conjecture over. —Jane Jacobs, Cities and the Wealth of Nations, 1984
- 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
Some have conjectured that the distant planet could sustain life.
We only conjecture about his motives.
Recent Examples of conjecture from the Web
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Despite the ongoing investigation, some media outlets and others have conjectured that Sheila was the victim of a 'probable suicide.'
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Thus Beyoncé, with a 26-inch (non-pregnant) waist and 40-inch hips, comes close to that scientific ideal at 0.65, the Daily Mail conjectured.
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Wall Street analysts conjectured about blockbuster sales.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'conjecture.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Did You Know?
When the noun "conjecture" entered English in the 14th century, it referred to the act of interpreting signs or omens (as for making prognostications). That sense is now obsolete, but by the 16th century both the noun and verb "conjecture" had acquired the meanings of speculation and inference that we use today. "Conjecture" derived via Middle English and Middle French from the Latin verb conicere ("to throw together"), a combination of "com-" ("together") and "jacere" ("to throw").
Origin and Etymology of conjecture
CONJECTURE Defined for English Language Learners
conjecture
play
noun
Definition of conjecture for English Language Learners
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: an opinion or idea formed without proof or sufficient evidence
conjecture
play
verb
Definition of conjecture for English Language Learners
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: to form an opinion or idea without proof or sufficient evidence
CONJECTURE Defined for Kids
Learn More about conjecture
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See words that rhyme with conjecture Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for conjecture Spanish Central: Translation of conjecture Nglish: Translation of conjecture for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of conjecture for Arabic speakers
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