as in guesses
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 estimates
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 assumes
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
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Recent Examples of conjectures
Lyndie Chiou, Scientific American, 13 Mar. 2026
For one thing, Kontsevich is known for taking a high-level approach to mathematics, preferring to pose ambitious conjectures and sketch out broad programs, often leaving the subtler details and formal proof-writing to others.
—Joseph Howlett, Quanta Magazine, 12 Dec. 2025
With few clear signals about who has influence and how decisions are made, the halls of power in Beijing are fertile ground for political conjectures.
—Deng Yuwen, Foreign Affairs, 14 Nov. 2025
This is an intense ongoing study and there are many conjectures.
—Literary Hub, 14 Nov. 2025
Amenabar seems to root his screenplay on conjectures about the writer’s sexuality, which many scholars consider latterday projection.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 31 Oct. 2025
Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 6 Feb. 2026
There’s no end to conjectures about William Shakespeare’s life because there isn’t all that much definitive Shakespeareana to rake over.
—Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 28 Aug. 2025
Noun
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
For one thing, Kontsevich is known for taking a high-level approach to mathematics, preferring to pose ambitious conjectures and sketch out broad programs, often leaving the subtler details and formal proof-writing to others.
—Joseph Howlett, Quanta Magazine, 12 Dec. 2025
With few clear signals about who has influence and how decisions are made, the halls of power in Beijing are fertile ground for political conjectures.
—Deng Yuwen, Foreign Affairs, 14 Nov. 2025
This is an intense ongoing study and there are many conjectures.
—Literary Hub, 14 Nov. 2025
Amenabar seems to root his screenplay on conjectures about the writer’s sexuality, which many scholars consider latterday projection.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 31 Oct. 2025
Verb
Leaving the hard numbers aside, conjectures about the effects of AI on individual companies are exactly that — conjectures.
—Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 6 Feb. 2026
There’s no end to conjectures about William Shakespeare’s life because there isn’t all that much definitive Shakespeareana to rake over.
—Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 28 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for conjectures
Noun
-
Recent deals in the shaky apartment market for Oakland might help shove property values lower in the coming weeks as the Alameda County Assessor’s Office finalizes its latest guesses for property values in its jurisdiction.—
George Avalos,
Mercury News,
13 Apr. 2026
-
Rookies Dëmin, Wolf, Saraf, Nolan Traoré and Drake Powell have all played meaningful minutes and started games, and the organization has been able to leave the season with real notes on all five rather than guesses.—
C.J. Holmes,
New York Daily News,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Beyond the acquisition costs, the report estimates spending another $21 billion in capital investment over the space of three decades to maintain the assets for transmission and distribution of the utility system.—
Rob Nikolewski,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
17 Apr. 2026
-
With a battery capacity of 2,016 Wh, Bluetti estimates this can run a standard 2-kWH, 18-22-cu-ft (510-623-L) fridge for about 22 hours on a full charge.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Chilli, who assumes that her daughter wants to play out a happier ending, announces that the bird has survived.—
Jean Garnett,
New Yorker,
18 Apr. 2026
-
That assumes, of course, that Moreno opts to sell.—
Bill Shaikin,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
In a time when science’s boundaries were less stable, Lamarck’s poetic theories had significant influence, and its traces can even be detected in contemporary epigenetics.—
The New Yorker,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
-
But the general idea is that there is a lot of stuff in the universe that is not the familiar matter that we are made of, and there are theories in which this stuff is not entirely benign.—
Richard Edwards,
Space.com,
19 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Boswell figures to join a backcourt anchored by redshirt freshman shooting guard Andre Mills.—
Edward Lee,
Baltimore Sun,
15 Apr. 2026
-
Lutz Kilian, director of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas’ Center for Energy and the Economy, figures that 5 million daily barrels can either be rerouted from the Persian Gulf to the Red Sea or continue to transit through the Strait of Hormuz.—
Paul Wiseman,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Leo’s fine, one supposes, as evil plantation owner Calvin Candie, but the role is not a natural fit for him.—
Tim Grierson,
Vulture,
26 Sep. 2025
-
The first theory supposes that the Big Bang produced dense spots that didn’t collapse immediately.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
However, the state calculates vaccination rates as a percentage of the total number of students enrolled, so the enrollment decline is factored in.—
Cindy Krischer Goodman,
Sun Sentinel,
16 Apr. 2026
-
Unlike the truckload index, which calculates rate per mile, the LTL index is calculated by rate per pound.—
Glenn Taylor,
Footwear News,
15 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Conjectures.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/conjectures. Accessed 22 Apr. 2026.
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