supposition

noun

sup·​po·​si·​tion ˌsə-pə-ˈzi-shən How to pronounce supposition (audio)
1
: something that is supposed : hypothesis
2
: the act of supposing
suppositional
ˌsə-pə-ˈzish-nəl How to pronounce supposition (audio)
-ˈzi-shə-nᵊl
adjective

Examples of supposition in a Sentence

a supposition that proved correct This is just idle supposition.
Recent Examples on the Web Regardless, prepare yourself for a wave of supposition that’s going to be as unrelenting as the Arctic blast consuming the country. Nate Davis, USA TODAY, 15 Jan. 2024 This supposition led to a whole bunch of experimentation with Cloudflare page rules and cache rules, increasing the scope of caching. Lee Hutchinson, Ars Technica, 26 Jan. 2024 But Man the Hunter's contributors often ignored evidence, sometimes in their own data, that countered their suppositions. Cara Ocobock, Scientific American, 19 Oct. 2023 With each that emerges comes the supposition that things are about to get worse. Helen Branswell, STAT, 10 Sep. 2023 Within six weeks of the bombings, U.S. and Japanese expert teams were in both cities studying the biological impact of radiation while saying nothing about their suppositions of its dangers. Arthur Caplan, Scientific American, 6 Aug. 2023 That supposition proved fateful, as Ortiz, Kanagawa and deBessonet fashioned a newfangled Milky White, one with an interior life — or at least one far more lovable than the cow statue in the 1987 original production. Peter Marks, Washington Post, 25 Aug. 2022 The scarcity of facts hasn’t stopped amateur genealogists from patching over the holes in her life story with supposition and speculation, which has left room for people on both sides of the cabin debate to produce interpretations in line with their perspectives. Hanna Raskin, Smithsonian Magazine, 11 Mar. 2022 Within many of our most crucial institutions, suppositions that would have been considered the height of lunacy even a few years ago have become regnant overnight. Charles C. W. Cooke, National Review, 27 June 2023

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

Word History

Etymology

Middle English supposicioun, from Anglo-French supposicion, from Late Latin supposition-, suppositio, from Latin, act of placing beneath, from supponere

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of supposition was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near supposition

Cite this Entry

“Supposition.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/supposition. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

supposition

noun
sup·​po·​si·​tion ˌsəp-ə-ˈzish-ən How to pronounce supposition (audio)
1
: something that is supposed
2
: the act of supposing
suppositional
-ˈzish-nəl How to pronounce supposition (audio)
-ən-ᵊl
adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on supposition

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