guesswork

noun

Definition of guessworknext
as in speculation
the act or process of finding an answer by guessing This book takes the guesswork out of buying a home. Calculating the drug's long-term effects is pure guesswork.

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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 guesswork This guide takes the guesswork out of when to use hot water to wash towels. — Jolie Kerr, Better Homes & Gardens, 26 Sep. 2026 Thankfully, Amazon shoppers took the guesswork out of finding the best one. — Kaitlin Gates, Travel + Leisure, 25 Sep. 2026 The cushy silhouette is one of those no-fuss numbers that takes the guesswork out of getting ready for the day. — India Roby, Glamour, 23 Sep. 2026 The gestures required to shape a stone tool were precise and difficult to learn through guesswork alone. — Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 18 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for guesswork
Recent Examples of Synonyms for guesswork
  1. speculation
  2. inference
  3. conjecture
  4. theory
Noun
  • That one is seeing all stars reprise their roles and came after months of speculation.
    — Max Goldbart, Deadline, 28 Sep. 2026
  • Superman and Batman might be one of the DC Universe’s most famous partnerships, but Robert Pattinson is officially ending speculation that his take on Bruce Wayne would fit in the cinematic world created by James Gunn.
    — Payton Turkeltaub, Variety, 27 Sep. 2026
Definition of speculation
Noun
  • Among them is the Wellcome Leap Quantum for Bio (Q4Bio) program, where Infleqtion pioneered and demonstrated on hardware a quantum neural network approach with training on GPU and inference on QPU for biomarker discovery.
    — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 25 Sep. 2026
  • The same task can run on different models, inference engines and hardware, each with different quality, latency, energy and cost profiles.
    — Anshu Bansal, Forbes.com, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of inference
Noun
  • Kravitz and Bedert solved Graham’s conjecture for those cases and posted their proof in September 2024.
    — Shalma Wegsman, Quanta Magazine, 28 Sep. 2026
  • Could Kleist’s conjecture provide a key to their seeming vacancy, their resignation, their helplessness, suggesting that in their benighted condition lies spiritual perfection?
    — Matthew McLean, Artforum, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of conjecture
Noun
  • Contrary to the traditional labor theory of value, which calculates the value of a good or service through the amount of labor required to produce it, Poliks and Trillo posit latency and delay to be the true sources of value.
    — Sophie Landres, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Such questions are critical to a long-standing puzzle of percolation theory, a subfield of probability theory focused on the permeability of networks.
    — Manon Bischoff, Scientific American, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of theory

Browse Nearby Words

guesstimating
guesswork
guest
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Cite this Entry

“Guesswork.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/guesswork. Accessed 4 Oct. 2026.

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