theoretical

adjective the·o·ret·i·cal \ ˌthē-ə-ˈre-ti-kəl , ˌthir-ˈe- \

variants: or less commonly theoretic play \-tik\

Definition of theoretical

1 :existing only in theory :hypothetical

gave as an example a theoretical situation

2 a :relating to or having the character of theory :abstract

b :confined to theory or speculation often in contrast to practical applications :speculative

theoretical physics

3 :given to or skilled in theorizing

a brilliant theoretical physicist

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Examples of theoretical in a Sentence

On a theoretical level, hiring more people seems logical.
The idea is purely theoretical at this point.
The danger is more than just a theoretical possibility.

Recent Examples of theoretical from the Web

As the show proceeds, the tone of the recurrent trolley questions gets darker, as if to emphasize to the audience the potential consequences of even the most theoretical questions.

— sophie gilbert, The Atlantic, "The show exposes the foibles and contradictions embedded in the minds of an audience.," 16 Aug. 2017
The federal government has worked to expand mental health care access and insurance coverage, but in many parts of the country, few mental health specialists accept insurance, rendering that theoretical benefit useless.

— shefali luthra, Kaiser Health News, "Obesity And Depression Are Entwined, Yet Scientists Don’t Know Why," 11 Aug. 2017
When scientists like Wilson became interested in theoretical questions of population ecology in the 1970s, the collections and the data about them proved essential.

— steven lubar, Smithsonian, "A Scholar Follows a Trail of Dead Mice and Discovers a Lesson in Why Museum Collections Matter," 10 Aug. 2017
On the other hand, the technology's theoretical advantages might not be enough to move many real-world customers.

— timothy b. lee, Ars Technica, "Investors poured millions into a storage network that doesn’t exist yet," 10 Aug. 2017
This detailed explanation of death via black hole, however, is theoretical.

— ben panko, Smithsonian, "Could You Crash Into a Black Hole?," 20 July 2017
However, the position proved problematic during the administration of former President Barrack Obama when Steven Koonin, also a theoretical physicist, served as undersecretary for science.

— adrian cho, Science | AAAS, "Nominee for Department of Energy’s undersecretary for science draws praise," 19 July 2017
And I have been involved in some of the observations that followed up on that and also in some of the theoretical modeling of this phenomenon.

— jessica gross, Longreads, "Why Are Humans So Curious?," 18 July 2017
Mirzakhani, whose theoretical work focused on understanding the symmetry of curved surfaces, received the medal at an event in Seoul in 2014.

— robert newhouse, Teen Vogue, "James Comey Is Reportedly Writing a Book," 17 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'theoretical.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of theoretical

Late Latin theoreticus, from Greek theōrētikos, from theōrein to look at

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First Known Use: 1601

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theoretical Synonyms

Synonyms

academic (also academical), conjectural, hypothetical, speculative, suppositional

Antonyms

actual, factual, real

Related Words

alleged, assumed, presumed, presupposed, proposed, supposed, unproved, unproven, untested; debatable, moot; abstract, conceptual, intellectual, metaphysical; nonclinical, nonpractical; nonempirical

Near Antonyms

clinical, practical; concrete, defined, definite, distinct; attested, authenticated, confirmed, demonstrated, established, proven, substantiated, tested, time-tested, validated, verified; empirical (also empiric), nonspeculative, nontheoretical, observational

THEORETICAL Defined for English Language Learners

theoretical

adjective

Definition of theoretical for English Language Learners

: relating to what is possible or imagined rather than to what is known to be true or real
: relating to the general principles or ideas of a subject rather than the practical uses of those ideas

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