hypothetically

adverb

hy·​po·​thet·​i·​cal·​ly ˌhī-pə-ˈthe-ti-k(ə-)lē 

: by making an assumption for the sake of discussion or argument : in a hypothetical way

speaking hypothetically

In this lucid report … he uses genetic differences, maps, computer simulations and an analysis of linguistic changes in the world's languages to hypothetically reconstruct the mass migrations of people across continents since modern humans first appeared.

—Genevieve Stuttaford

We asked ourselves hypothetically: If the chairmen of the boards of these major tobacco companies walked in here today and said, "Okay, we're ready to do a deal," what did we want?

—Lewis H. Lapham

—used to suggest what is theoretically possible

Hypothetically, you could use a computer to synthesize a large number of harmonics, add them back together, and reproduce a sound similar to that of the bowed violin string.

—Dragan Huterer

Examples of hypothetically in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Boian and other public relations experts who spoke to The Denver Post commented on the scandals hypothetically, as neither have worked directly with funeral homes on this issue. —Katie Langford, Denver Post, 22 Mar. 2026

Located around 40 light-years from Earth, TRAPPIST-1 d, e, f, and g all orbit their red dwarf star at distances that hypothetically could support liquid water. —Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 19 Mar. 2026

For a neater option, the material could hypothetically be packaged and flown out, as in the cooperative approach. —Matthew Bunn, The Conversation, 17 Mar. 2026

Doja Cat likes opera, hypothetically In classic Doja Cat fashion, the rapper got into it (yuh), then got out of it (nuh). —Bethy Squires, Vulture, 12 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1593, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for hypothetically

• apologetically
• photosynthetically
• phylogenetically
• aesthetically
• esthetically
• genetically
• kinetically
• phonetically
• poetically
• prophetically
• synthetically
• alphabetically