as in speculative
existing only as an assumption or speculation
a necessarily conjectural account of Shakespeare's life, since there is so little hard information
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Recent Examples of conjectural
Failure to prosecute leaders because of the conjectural risk to the system would create two systems of justice, with those in power never being held to the same standard as other wrongdoers.
—
Andrew Weissmann, Variety, 1 Mar. 2023
Both of these Elizabeths are conjectural.
—Vulture, 8 Sep. 2022
That's still highly conjectural.
—Anchorage Daily News, 17 June 2020
But the possible consequences of an Iranian nuclear capability are largely conjectural (save for one: nobody would think of invading Iran anymore).
—Barry R. Posen, Foreign Affairs, 7 Sep. 2010
See All Example Sentences for conjectural
Andrew Weissmann, Variety, 1 Mar. 2023
Both of these Elizabeths are conjectural.
—Vulture, 8 Sep. 2022
That's still highly conjectural.
—Anchorage Daily News, 17 June 2020
But the possible consequences of an Iranian nuclear capability are largely conjectural (save for one: nobody would think of invading Iran anymore).
—Barry R. Posen, Foreign Affairs, 7 Sep. 2010
See All Example Sentences for conjectural
Recent Examples of Synonyms for conjectural
Adjective
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Like other collectible alternative assets, such as fine art, rare watches and classic cars, cask investing is a high-risk, speculative, long-term bet on a largely unregulated, illiquid asset.—
Hugh Leask,
CNBC,
9 May 2026
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Plans by Becknell are to build the speculative structure, to be called Northwind North Business Park, and utilize it for light industrial businesses to rent.—
Deborah Laverty,
Chicago Tribune,
8 May 2026
Adjective
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Eventually, Patterson acknowledged that this hypothetical real man was just a description of himself.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
3 May 2026
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More than a few of the teams included in that hypothetical opening round are from conferences whose champions have pulled off NCAA Tournament upsets in recent years.—
Ralph D. Russo,
New York Times,
30 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
These proposals rely heavily on theoretical risk models, selective interpretation of data and precautionary assumptions rather than demonstrated real-world patterns of harm sufficient to justify criminalization.—
Teri Sforza,
Oc Register,
8 May 2026
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This entry introduces the concept of media dependency through one of the most influential theories, the media dependency system model, and its relation to other theoretical frameworks such as uses and gratifications theory and the power dependency model.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
8 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Conjectural.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/conjectural. Accessed 11 May. 2026.
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