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

Perhaps the Scottish actor was just speaking hypothetically. —Glenn Garner, Deadline, 7 May 2025

That flip-flopping could, hypothetically, continue with each new administration, unless something changes. —Camila Domonoske, NPR, 1 May 2025

However, more leeway might be afforded, if, hypothetically, UEFA decided a long way out to host the Champions League final in the U.S. and Barcelona happened to qualify. —Adam Crafton, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2025

Or even, hypothetically, without leaving the dance floor. —James Dinh, Billboard, 14 Apr. 2025

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