SINCE 1828
theoretically
adverb
the·o·ret·i·cal·ly
| \ ˌthē-ə-ˈre-ti-k(ə-)lē
, ˌthir-ˈe-ti-\
, ˌthir-ˈe-ti-\
Definition of theoretically
1
: according to an ideal or assumed set of facts or principles : in theory
2
: in a theoretical way
Examples of theoretically in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
There was theoretically something in 732 for everyone — i.e., the moral satisfaction of having struck a blow against climate change — but there wasn’t anything in particular in it for anyone in particular. — David Roberts, Vox, "Washington votes no on a carbon tax — again," 6 Nov. 2018 That theoretically would put pressure on the guys in the big leagues to perform. — John Fay, Cincinnati.com, "Cincinnati Reds rebuild still rests on developing starting pitching," 3 May 2018 These amenities tend to siphon away money that could theoretically be put toward financial aid instead. — Jeffrey Selingo, The Atlantic, "The Best Ways to Fix College Admissions Are Probably Illegal," 27 Apr. 2018 Events for Prince William and Kate Middleton have also yet to be announced for the 14th, leaving their V-day schedules theoretically open. — Chloe Foussianes, Town & Country, "It Looks Like Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Won't Be Spending Valentine's Day Together," 28 Jan. 2019 Those groups are capped at 256 people so theoretically one person could reach 1,280 users with a message before maxing out. — Newley Purnell, WSJ, "Facebook’s WhatsApp Fights Fake News by Curbing Message Forwarding," 21 Jan. 2019 Dynamic Foveated Rendering would theoretically boost performance of those mobile experiences a not-insignificant amount. — Hayden Dingman, PCWorld, "HTC reveals two new VR headsets, the untethered Vive Cosmos and gaze-tracking Vive Pro Eye," 7 Jan. 2019 McConnell theoretically could fast-track the cloture vote for Saturday, which would entail unusual weekend sessions. — Gregg Re, Fox News, "Supreme Court set to begin new term with empty seat amid Kavanaugh uncertainty," 24 Sep. 2018 Suspending the program could theoretically benefit those companies, which each owed other insurers about $1 billion under the program as of March 31, according to regulatory filings. — Brian Broderick And Sarah Kopit, latimes.com, "Trump administration freezes billions of dollars in payments to Obamacare insurers," 8 July 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'theoretically.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Keep scrolling for more
Comments on theoretically
What made you want to look up theoretically? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Test Your Vocabulary
What did you just call me?! A Quiz
-
- If a member of the audience describes your speech as bombastic, does that person mean it is:
Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!
TAKE THE QUIZ
Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.
TAKE THE QUIZ
Share theoretically
Resources for theoretically