hypothetically

adverb

hy·​po·​thet·​i·​cal·​ly ˌhī-pə-ˈthe-ti-k(ə-)lē How to pronounce hypothetically (audio)
: 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 Efficient transit in the neighborhood would reduce the need to include as much parking in his future multi-family buildings, transforming them from, hypothetically, 150-unit buildings to 450-unit buildings. Kayla Dwyer, The Indianapolis Star, 27 Feb. 2024 But, hypothetically, what if your unique polarization signature gets out there? Julian Chokkattu, WIRED, 26 Feb. 2024 Proving that water actually exists could hypothetically be done in many ways. Elizabeth Rayne, Ars Technica, 9 Jan. 2024 The researchers then performed an analysis to determine—hypothetically—when rapid tests would be most sensitive among this group of people, in part by using something called a single molecule array test to look at antigen concentrations. Alyssa Hui, Verywell Health, 22 Jan. 2024 Matchups like this are rare because hypothetically a program like MSJ has everything lose and nothing to gain beating some public school. Timothy Dashiell, Baltimore Sun, 2 Jan. 2024 The remaining edits disabled innate viruses found in the pig genome that could hypothetically infect people. Emily Mullin, WIRED, 18 Jan. 2024 The researchers think the combination of both could mean not just a few microbial life forms but, at least hypothetically, a planet alive with organisms. Elizabeth Rayne, Ars Technica, 9 Jan. 2024 But even with these considerations—which can certainly elongate the time needed to form a habit—individuals can hypothetically form new habits very quickly, Ernesto Lira de la Rosa, PhD, psychologist and Hope for Depression Research Foundation Media Advisor, told Health. Alyssa Hui, Health, 30 Dec. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hypothetically.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1593, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of hypothetically was in 1593

Dictionary Entries Near hypothetically

Cite this Entry

“Hypothetically.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hypothetically. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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