GUESSING Synonyms: 88 Similar and Opposite Words

guessing 1 of 2

noun

as in speculation

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guessing

2 of 2

verb

present participle of guess

as in assuming

to form an opinion from little or no evidence though she does not speak with an accent, I would still guess that she is a foreigner

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in estimating

to decide the size, amount, number, or distance of (something) without actual measurement I would guess the road goes for about two miles before you have to take a left

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in thinking

to have as an opinion I never would have guessed that she was capable of such a terrible thing

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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 guessing

Noun

Finding them has typically been an expensive, dangerous guessing game. — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 3 July 2026 His opponents in an Indigenous game of guessing, strategy and spirituality pointed to the left. — ABC News, 2 July 2026 Last year — when the budget was months past the deadline — schools had to do a lot of guessing. — Elle Meyers, CBS News, 1 July 2026 Or at least a very lucrative guessing game. — Natalie Hoberman, Forbes.com, 27 June 2026 The team tested this approach against a system using the more typical vowel-heavy guessing strategy. — Mack Degeurin, Popular Science, 17 June 2026 Your grounded nature helps others exhale, and steady pacing lets important tasks finish without drama or second-guessing. — Tarot.com, Hartford Courant, 11 June 2026 Turning an idea into a finished book usually takes months of writing, editing, and second-guessing. — Stackcommerce Team, PC Magazine, 10 June 2026 Spam calls have turned the phone in your pocket into a daily guessing game. — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 26 May 2026

Verb

As has been the norm this summer, seasonal storms kept attendees guessing about whether the July 4 tradition would go forward until downbeat. — Hannah Edgar, Chicago Tribune, 5 July 2026 Just like his previous assist for Dembele, both came from sneaky passes into the box, the first for Bradley Barcola after another mazy run and cheeky nutmeg on the defender, keeping Gustaf Lagerbielke guessing before rolling it through his legs. — Thom Harris, New York Times, 4 July 2026 Swift and Kelce have certainly kept the world guessing right up to the wire — the wedding of the decade is reportedly a day away, and even THR is going on secondhand intel. — Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 2 July 2026 The Bot gets 1 point for guessing in three and 1 for beating me. — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026 Once the model is built, it can be used to take a scene constructed by artists and tweak it, making the physics look realistic — not by modeling the physics, but by guessing at them based on absorbing an incredibly large dataset of real-world footage. — Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 26 June 2026 The convention will feature panels focused on creativity, all-ages karaoke and anime-adjacent games such as trivia and guessing contests. — Zaire Breedlove, Charlotte Observer, 25 June 2026 Rather than guessing how a frame might look, shoppers can use digital tools to get a better sense of fit and appearance before ordering. — Connie Etemadi, Miami Herald, 24 June 2026 In fact, scammers are not always guessing. — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 23 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for guessing

Noun

Prada’s show reignited online speculation about the return of skinny silhouettes, showcasing an array of colorful leather and denim pants.

— Angela Velasquez, Footwear News, 8 July 2026
The Los Angeles Dodgers, renowned for their relentless pursuit of championships, faced intense trade speculation last year concerning third baseman Max Muncy.

— Peter Chawaga, Forbes.com, 8 July 2026

Definition of speculation

Verb

But the covert nature of the transits meant the task of estimating the outlook for global supply got even harder.

— Weilun Soon, Fortune, 5 July 2026
Once this modification was included, the theoretical predictions closely matched the experimental data, providing a practical framework for estimating exciton binding energy from the dielectric environment.

— Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 5 July 2026

Definition of estimating

Verb

But Atim is already thinking about how to further grow the character, and her direct-to-camera speech in Akasha’s final moments in the episode is a barn burner of fury and vengeance that will hopefully secure the series a fourth season.

— Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 7 July 2026
Mahoney says, for example, many consumers tend to be myopic - being laser-focused on things like the upfront sticker price of a good or service, but not thinking about the overall cost and experience of dealing with a company.

— Greg Rosalsky, NPR, 7 July 2026

Definition of thinking

Noun

Los Angeles County prosecutors charged Jason Melara, Taylor and Johnson not only with his murder, but also the killing of Mario Melara under the theory that his death was provoked by the armed robbery of Aguilar.

— Matthew Ormseth, Los Angeles Times, 11 July 2026
In another discrepancy, Crump said that a witness reported Wells had planned to leave on the boat with his friends, contradicting the sheriff's theory.

— ABC News, ABC News, 11 July 2026

Definition of theory

Verb

Roddey wants more money for schools and less for the city, figuring the city can make up funding through utility sales to incoming companies.

— John Marks, Charlotte Observer, 8 July 2026
All of the democratic socialist legislators, including then-Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani, were smart enough to stay away, figuring this was not the moment to cheer Hamas, even for those committed to the Palestinian cause.

— The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 5 July 2026

Definition of figuring

Verb

The market does not reward investors simply for believing harder.

— Jim Osman, Forbes.com, 5 July 2026
Shares of the software companies were up after Guggenheim upgraded both to buy, believing that artificial intelligence won’t be a death knell for the companies and attractive valuations in the stocks.

— Davis Giangiulio, CNBC, 1 July 2026

Definition of believing

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guesses

guessing

guesstimate

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Style

“Guessing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/guessing. Accessed 11 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of guessing

noun

verb

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