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

• academic
• academical
• conjectural
• speculative
• suppositional
• theoretical
• theoretic

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

Nacua’s comments added to the ongoing hypothetical debate about how many NBA players could compete in the NFL and vice versa. —Eric Jackson, Sportico.com, 12 July 2024

However, the system describes hypothetical technology that does not yet exist and is possibly best interpreted as a marketing move to garner investment dollars. —Benj Edwards, Ars Technica, 12 July 2024

There are also some hypothetical reasons why CAR-T could indirectly raise the risk of any secondary primary malignancy, Rejeski added. —Alia Sajani and Angus Chen, STAT, 12 July 2024

All 31 banks evaluated in the Fed’s annual stress test, which assesses the financial resilience of banks under hypothetical fraught conditions, passed this year. —Krystal Hur, CNN, 11 July 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1588, in the meaning defined above

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