hypothesis

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noun hy·poth·e·sis \ hī-ˈpä-thə-səs \

Definition of hypothesis

plural hypotheses play \hī-ˈpä-thə-ˌsēz\

1 a :an assumption or concession made for the sake of argument

b :an interpretation of a practical situation or condition taken as the ground for action

2 :a tentative assumption made in order to draw out and test its logical or empirical consequences

3 :the antecedent clause of a conditional statement

See hypothesis defined for English-language learners

See hypothesis defined for kids

Examples of hypothesis in a Sentence

In contrast to Bingham's hypothesis that Machu Picchu was the birthplace of the first Inca and the hearth area of the Inca civilization, current scholars believe that the city was built as a country estate … —Roger Balm, Focus On Geography, Spring 2004
Campus veterans marvel at all the poolside apartments that have sprung up since Georgia popped the income cap off its merit awards. Professors are testing their hypothesis that instead of increasing college enrollment, the state's $1.7 billion scholarship program has been a blessing for the automobile industry—since so many families roll the savings into buying new cars. —Greg Winter, New York Times, 31 Oct. 2002
Isaac Newton initially argued against a parabolic orbit for the … comet of 1680, preferring the hypothesis of two independent comets, one for the inbound and one for the outbound leg. However, Newton later showed that the orbit of the comet could indeed be fit by a parabola. —Daniel C. Boice and Walter Huebner, "Physics and Chemistry of Comets," in Encyclopedia of the Solar System Paul R. Weissman et al., editors, 1999
As stated, our working hypothesis suggests a straightforward way to look for evidence that would confirm or disconfirm it: can you predict what is omitted and what is included in alphabetic representations? —Timothy Shopen and Joseph M. Williams, Standards and Dialects in English, 1980
Other chemists rejected his hypothesis.
Their hypothesis is that watching excessive amounts of television reduces a person's ability to concentrate.
The results of the experiment did not support his hypothesis.

Recent Examples of hypothesis from the Web

One hypothesis is that talc applied to the genital area can migrate up the vagina to the ovaries, causing chronic inflammation that eventually results in malignancies.

— laura mcginley, chicagotribune.com, "Does talcum powder cause ovarian cancer?," 28 Aug. 2017
In emails with colleagues and friends, traders are sharing links about the superstitious hypothesis, joking -- possibly -- that Monday’s total eclipse of the sun could help make sense of the market’s recent slip.

— lily katz, Bloomberg.com, "Superstitious Stock Traders: Beware of an Eclipse Crash," 18 Aug. 2017
Keep in mind, NASA's Earth Observatory maps are based on hypothesis, compiled using satellite data collected on the exact date between 2000 and 2016.

— thomas novelly, The Courier-Journal, "Could clouds block the once-in-a-lifetime eclipse in Kentucky?," 15 Aug. 2017
There’s one more hypothesis about what could happen that is a real mind-bender.

— ed kilgore, Daily Intelligencer, "Kris Kobach Wants a Promotion. But Will He Run for Governor or Join Trump’s Cabinet?," 31 July 2017
Among hypotheses: Pregnancy might contribute to vascular problems or unleash preexisting tendencies.

— anna gorman, Kaiser Health News, "Women With High-Risk Pregnancies Far More Prone To Heart Disease," 12 July 2017
The new evidence from Coronodon havensteini, described by paleontologist Jonathan Geisler and colleagues, supports the second hypothesis.

— brian switek, Scientific American Blog Network, "Paleo Profile: The Crown Tooth," 10 July 2017
That hypothesis has worrisome implications for less skilled workers.

— max ehrenfreund, Alaska Dispatch News, "A ‘very credible’ new study on Seattle’s $15 minimum wage has bad news for liberals," 27 June 2017
This is a hypothesis being tested by Tom Lohuis, a wildlife research biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, and Roman Dial, a professor at Alaska Pacific University.

— rick sinnott, Alaska Dispatch News, "Whither our Chugach Dall sheep?," 24 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'hypothesis.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of hypothesis

Greek, from hypotithenai to put under, suppose, from hypo- + tithenai to put — more at do

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1641

See Words from the same year

hypothesis Synonyms

Synonyms

theory, proposition, supposition, thesis

Related Words

assumption, concession, premise (also premiss), presumption, presupposition, theorem; conjecture, generalization, guess, guesswork, inference, speculation, surmise; proffer, proposal, suggestion; feeling, hunch, impression, inkling, notion, suspicion; abstraction, concept, conception, construct

Near Antonyms

assurance, certainty, fact, knowledge

Synonym Discussion of hypothesis

hypothesis, theory, law mean a formula derived by inference from scientific data that explains a principle operating in nature. hypothesis implies insufficient evidence to provide more than a tentative explanation.

- a hypothesis explaining the extinction of the dinosaurs

theory implies a greater range of evidence and greater likelihood of truth.

- the theory of evolution

law implies a statement of order and relation in nature that has been found to be invariable under the same conditions.

- the law of gravitation

HYPOTHESIS Defined for English Language Learners

hypothesis

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noun

Definition of hypothesis for English Language Learners

: an idea or theory that is not proven but that leads to further study or discussion

HYPOTHESIS Defined for Kids

hypothesis

play

noun hy·poth·e·sis \ hī-ˈpä-thə-səs \

Definition of hypothesis for Students

plural hypotheses \-ə-ˌsēz\

:something not proved but assumed to be true for purposes of argument or further study or investigation

Medical Dictionary

hypothesis

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noun hy·poth·e·sis \ hī-ˈpäth-ə-səs \

medical Definition of hypothesis

plural hypotheses play \-ˌsēz\

:a proposition tentatively assumed in order to draw out its logical or empirical consequences and test its consistency with facts that are known or may be determined

it appears, then, to be a condition of the most genuinely scientific hypothesis that it be…of such a nature as to be either proved or disproved by comparison with observed facts
—J. S. Mill