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

These are not futuristic use cases with hypothetical applications. — Darren Tan, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026

Another Noble Predictive Insights survey released in May showed Biggs losing to Hobbs in a hypothetical general election by four percentage points. — Phillip M. Bailey, USA Today, 19 July 2026

Ohtani spearheads the game’s most formidable hypothetical October rotation. — Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 18 July 2026

Using a supercomputer, Northrop’s team modelled a hypothetical version of each trip without speeding—an intimidating data processing task that took years. — Mary Randolph, Scientific American, 16 July 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