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 Magic Capture takes the guesswork out of when to press the shutter button. — ArsTechnica, 12 Aug. 2026 Taking the guesswork out of watering leads to healthier plants and less water waste, making gardening less stressful. — Gretchen M. Stone, USA Today, 11 Aug. 2026 Predictable routines take the guesswork out of a stressful hour. — Ashley Lynch, Sacbee.com, 7 Aug. 2026 The best omelet pans take the guesswork out of the cooking process. — Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 3 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for guesswork
Recent Examples of Synonyms for guesswork
  1. speculation
  2. inference
  3. conjecture
  4. theory
Noun
  • Prince Harry and Meghan’s surprise homecoming will undoubtedly trigger a frenzy of speculation in Britain where the Windsor clan’s family dramas routinely grip the nation.
    — Max Foster, CNN Money, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Iran launched a drone attack against Azerbaijan early in the war, triggering harsh denunciations and speculation that Azerbaijan could enter the war.
    — Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of speculation
Noun
  • Less intensive in processing requirements than AI training, inference is the larger-in-volume workload required to operate AI services at scale.
    — Bloomberg, Mercury News, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Summary At the 2026 FMS Conference, SK hynix and Sandisk unveiled significant advancements in memory and storage, particularly focusing on High Bandwidth Flash (HBF) for AI inference.
    — Thomas Coughlin, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of inference
Noun
  • Proving this conjecture would show that waves experiencing chaos move in ways that look surprising and random at small scales but are simple at the macroscopic level.
    — Shalma Wegsman, Quanta Magazine, 12 Aug. 2026
  • The discovery matched a conjecture that Erdős and Szekeres had put forth as young men.
    — Jack Murtagh, Scientific American, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of conjecture
Noun
  • These theories spreading online, one expert says, stem from people’s struggles to find a fulfilling explanation for what has happened.
    — Rebekah Riess, CNN Money, 22 Aug. 2026
  • Heck, for instance, studies how discrepancy theory can be applied to improve large language models and other machine learning systems.
    — Quanta Magazine, Quanta Magazine, 21 Aug. 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 25 Aug. 2026.

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