as in guess
an opinion or judgment based on little or no evidence
the many conjectures about the true identity of Jack the Ripper
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Rowan Fisher-Shotton, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2026
The project grew out of group head Ido Kaminer’s 2019 Ramanujan Machine, an AI bot that seeks out new conjectures for calculating mathematical constants.
—Lyndie Chiou, Scientific American, 13 Mar. 2026
Angie Leventis Lourgos, Chicago Tribune, 5 Jan. 2026
The moment prompted extensive online speculation, with some social media users and commentators conjecturing that his words may have been critical or disrespectful.
—Megan Cartwright, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for conjecture
Noun
Network executives emphasized that unless Woods or his team publicly address his situation, broadcasters will avoid discussing unconfirmed details or engaging in conjecture.
—Rowan Fisher-Shotton, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2026
The project grew out of group head Ido Kaminer’s 2019 Ramanujan Machine, an AI bot that seeks out new conjectures for calculating mathematical constants.
—Lyndie Chiou, Scientific American, 13 Mar. 2026
Verb
Some task force workers conjectured that the ease of use and convenience of a prepackaged device might prompt more folks to test their drugs, especially those who are younger.
—Angie Leventis Lourgos, Chicago Tribune, 5 Jan. 2026
The moment prompted extensive online speculation, with some social media users and commentators conjecturing that his words may have been critical or disrespectful.
—Megan Cartwright, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for conjecture
Recent Examples of Synonyms for conjecture
Noun
-
For that reason, avian influenza was one of her initial guesses as to the cause of the illnesses.—
Brenda Goodman,
CNN Money,
6 May 2026
-
Google says these experimental models leverage a form of speculative decoding to take a guess at future tokens, which can speed up generation compared to the way models generate tokens on their own.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
6 May 2026
Verb
-
Steele is now unlikely to rejoin the Cubs’ rotation until after the July All-Star break, Counsell estimated.—
Meghan Montemurro,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Apr. 2026
-
The president most recently estimated that the project will cost somewhere between $300 million and $400 million.—
Christian Datoc,
The Washington Examiner,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Human operators continuously monitor the systems and can assume manual control when necessary.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
7 May 2026
-
The aether, it was assumed, was the medium inherent to space that all objects, from comets to planets to stars, traveled through.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
7 May 2026
Noun
-
The adult world is studied and emulated in a manner that suggests praxis but no theory.—
Anna Wiener,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
-
There is one theory that people may outlive their physical bodies but there may be a way to upload their consciousness into a digital realm where human existence could go on indefinitely.—
John Ramos,
CBS News,
3 May 2026
Verb
-
People were always trying to figure her out, to root around into her background in an attempt to explain her appeal.—
Rachel Syme,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
-
This figures to be a challenging season for the Dolphins with so much dead money clogging the books.—
The Athletic NFL Staff,
New York Times,
4 May 2026
Verb
-
The current map was imposed under a court order and is supposed to be used until after the 2030 census.—
David A. Lieb,
Chicago Tribune,
9 May 2026
-
In 2025, 739 units were permitted that would be affordable to low-income people; the city is supposed to have permitted 788 per year to meet its goal.—
Ariane Lange,
Sacbee.com,
8 May 2026
Verb
-
Redford sought to play the Bob Woodward character as reserved and calculating, while Hoffman, as Carl Bernstein, was manic and chain-smoking.—
Peter Bart,
Deadline,
7 May 2026
-
That night, Paige downloaded an app to calculate her due date.—
Kelsey Monstrola,
USA Today,
7 May 2026
Verb
-
In total, five people have been confirmed to have contracted the virus while three others are suspected of being infected.—
Eve Chen,
USA Today,
8 May 2026
-
Although the wine mom has certain advantages for effecting political change in an age of hyperpolitics, one still suspects that the commonest usage of the term is rooted in reflexive, sexist disdain.—
Jessica Winter,
New Yorker,
7 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Conjecture.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/conjecture. Accessed 11 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
