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 of hypothetical

• theoretical
• speculative

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

China has ratcheted up pressure on Tokyo after comments by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in November that a hypothetical Chinese attack on Taiwan could trigger a military response from Tokyo, which drew criticism from Beijing. — Anniek Bao, CNBC, 29 June 2026

The workshop’s facilitators posed a series of hypothetical adversarial actions, or vignettes, to the participants. — Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 29 June 2026

These squads aren’t just experimenting with hypothetical use cases. — Toby Carrington, Forbes.com, 29 June 2026

In one clip, Évelyne Dhéliat from French television network TF1 presented a hypothetical scenario of high temperatures 36 years into the future — during a heat wave in a warmer climate in 2050. — Ben Noll, Washington Post, 25 June 2026

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