hypothetical

adjective

hy·​po·​thet·​i·​cal ˌhī-pə-ˈthe-ti-kəl 

: involving or being based on a suggested idea or theory : being or involving a hypothesis : conjectural

hypothetical arguments

a hypothetical situation

hypothetical noun

Synonyms

• theoretic
• speculative
• theoretical

Examples of hypothetical in a Sentence

She described a hypothetical case to clarify her point.

we talked about what we would do in various hypothetical emergencies

Recent Examples on the Web

Many regional observers believe Barghouti is the only figure capable of uniting the Palestinians; polls show him as a leading candidate in a hypothetical election for President of the Palestinian Authority. —Eric Cortellessa, Time, 23 Oct. 2025

These are hypothetical cracks in spacetime that many scientists believe may still be out there. —Chris Young, Interesting Engineering, 23 Oct. 2025

In this hypothetical, reducing the cost of cryogenics and control electronics would suddenly open the door to developing commercial applications of quantum compute at a dramatically lower cost. —Big Think, 22 Oct. 2025

Those fears are not hypothetical; the state has revoked at least one teacher’s license and suspended two others’. —Jennifer Smith Richards, ProPublica, 22 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1588, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for hypothetical

• alphabetical
• antithetical
• arithmetical
• catechetical
• exegetical
• homiletical
• parenthetical
• theoretical
• aesthetical
• genetical
• heretical
• magnetical

Kids Definition

hypothetical

adjective

hy·​po·​thet·​i·​cal ˌhi-pə-ˈthet-i-kəl 

1

: involving a hypothesis or the making of assumptions : assumed

2

: imagined for purposes of example

a hypothetical case

hypothetically

-i-k(ə-)lē 

adverb