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
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
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
-
This lets architects and engineers directly compare air-conditioning setups and control strategies early on, using real numbers rather than guesses.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
14 Feb. 2026
-
The post generated more than 300 guesses, some submitted purely in fun.—
Kathleen Hill,
The Providence Journal,
7 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The city of Milwaukee estimates that up to 12,500 people use the thoroughfare every day.—
Everett Eaton,
jsonline.com,
13 Feb. 2026
-
The Tax Foundation estimates the average tax refund could be $300 to $800 higher compared with a typical year.—
Sharon Epperson,Stephanie Dhue,
CNBC,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Too much of California’s policy assumes technological breakthroughs will simply appear on schedule, at an affordable cost, to meet the looming lofty goals.—
Suzette Valladares,
Oc Register,
15 Feb. 2026
-
But this assumes the PLA’s claim is, of course, true.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
14 Feb. 2026
Noun
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People have responded to the baffling disappearance of Nancy Guthrie with theories in chat rooms, nonstop comments on a livestream tracking the investigation and a flood of calls to the FBI and Pima County Sheriff's Department.—
Stephanie Innes,
AZCentral.com,
13 Feb. 2026
-
My inbox overflowed with the latest theories on how Democrats had lost their way and what was needed to revive them.—
Mark Leibovich,
The Atlantic,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Jones, who figures to be back for offseason work, and Talanoa Hufanga play with an aggressive style at safety that will continue to make depth critical for the Broncos in the back end of the secondary.—
Nick Kosmider,
New York Times,
18 Feb. 2026
-
The vagaries of the schedule are something that figures to hamper MLS teams all season.—
Kevin Baxter,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Feb. 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
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Tyler has been embedded in the treasurer’s office, which calculates and mails out property tax bills, for years.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
13 Feb. 2026
-
That’s what my trusty spreadsheet found after reviewing a BatchData report from the third quarter of 2025 that calculates investor ownership of houses and townhomes nationwide.—
Jonathan Lansner,
Oc Register,
11 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Conjectures.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/conjectures. Accessed 20 Feb. 2026.
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