conjecture 1 of 2

noun

kən-ˈjek-chər How to pronounce conjecture (audio)
Definition of conjecturenext
as in guess
an opinion or judgment based on little or no evidence the many conjectures about the true identity of Jack the Ripper

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conjecture

2 of 2

verb

1
as in to estimate
to decide the size, amount, number, or distance of (something) without actual measurement he conjectured that the theater could seat 1000 people more or less

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to guess
to form an opinion from little or no evidence you're only conjecturing that he was the culprit

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of conjecture
Noun
The discovery matched a conjecture that Erdős and Szekeres had put forth as young men. — Jack Murtagh, Scientific American, 10 Aug. 2026 Some of the conjecture stemmed from photos of the Black teen, Nolan Wells, surrounded by White friends while on a Fourth of July trip to Horn Island, a popular holiday destination off the Mississippi coast. — Alisha Ebrahimji, CNN Money, 8 Aug. 2026
Verb
Suspicion fell on Shiite families, though many dismissed these conjectures; in Ain el-Mreisseh, people know their neighbors. — Rania Abouzeid, New Yorker, 21 May 2026 Or, in some cases with Goodman, might lie within the realm of fantasy, delusion, and conjecture? — Literary Hub, 13 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for conjecture
Recent Examples of Synonyms for conjecture
  1. guess
  2. estimate
  3. assume
  4. theory
  5. figure
  6. suppose
  7. calculate
  8. suspect
Noun
  • My guess is the players might work a little harder to entertain the fans instead of turning what should have been a showcase event into the embarrassment that was this year’s All-Star Weekend.
    — Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 23 Aug. 2026
  • Tests get built around actual user behavior, like scroll depth or device, instead of guesses based on age or location.
    — Karan Sharma, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of guess
Verb
  • Analysts estimate that clearing this existing backlog will take another 10 to 15 days.
    — , CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Coulter estimated Thursday that the library system receives one request per year.
    — Joseph Flaherty, Arkansas Online, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of estimate
Verb
  • Taylor has quickly assumed a leadership role, with her coach using her as an example of expectations.
    — Edgar Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 24 Aug. 2026
  • Most of the people who are found dead there every year are assumed to be migrants, Hess says, because of the desert’s location on the southern border.
    — Emma Tucker, CNN Money, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of assume
Noun
  • The lipstick index is an economic theory holding that sales of affordable discretionary spending or luxuries skyrocket when consumers believe an economic recession is impending.
    — Sarah Glodek, Fortune, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Yet Turing’s theory of computation wasn’t really about computers, at least not at first.
    — Ben Brubaker, Quanta Magazine, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of theory
Verb
  • Anthropic has seen incredible traction with enterprise customers, and there figures to be considerable overlap between the companies' customer bases.
    — Kevin Stankiewicz, CNBC, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Nabil and Sliman laughed at how the leather soon stank before Nabil could figure it all out.
    — Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of figure
Verb
  • What’s most difficult about this is the notion it was never supposed to be this way.
    — Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026
  • But the express option is not supposed to be a CTA competitor, the Flyer team said, pitching the train as a ride centered around the needs of air travelers, including luggage racks and even the option to check baggage to their final destination.
    — Talia Soglin, Chicago Tribune, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of suppose
Verb
  • Robot depth vision The new stereo vision algorithm allows humanoid robots to calculate depth using a camera arrangement that more closely mimics human vision.
    — Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 27 Aug. 2026
  • In a class-action lawsuit brought on behalf of California renters, lawyers alleged that Conservice’s policy was to deny tenants the right to view specific bills or formulas used to calculate their individual charges.
    — Audrey McGlinchy, Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of calculate
Verb
  • Rivera-Vega is suspected of setting the fire and also had been charged with arson causing great bodiliy injury before the woman died.
    — Rick Hurd, Mercury News, 23 Aug. 2026
  • On Monday, Panettiere’s rep confirmed the actress’ death at age 36 to Deadline, as police in Greenville, South Carolina initially announced that no foul play was suspected.
    — Glenn Garner, Deadline, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of suspect

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conjectural
conjecture
conjectured
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Cite this Entry

“Conjecture.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/conjecture. Accessed 30 Aug. 2026.

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