as in theories
an idea that is the starting point for making a case or conducting an investigation
working on the hypothesis that teenagers function better in the late morning, some high schools are starting classes later
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Recent Examples of hypotheses
This flexible system allows performers to switch between hypotheses of how dinosaurs might have sounded.
—
Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 14 Sep. 2025
Investigators initially had 12 hypotheses about what caused the deadly collapse, per The Miami Herald.
—Madison E. Goldberg, PEOPLE, 10 Sep. 2025
But, of course, everything is constantly changing and evolving; therefore, especially within the ever-expanding domain of wealth management, the best advisors will always be open to testing former hypotheses and determining whether newer ideas will better serve their clients.
—Tim Maurer, Forbes.com, 31 Aug. 2025
Initial hypotheses suggested those become more elaborate over time in response to the growing threat of Cretaceous predators.
—ArsTechnica, 28 Aug. 2025
One thing the different hypotheses tend to have in common is an emphasis on the cooling effects of rainfall.
—Chris Mooney, CNN Money, 19 Aug. 2025
The special masters deciding the cases found that none of the causation hypotheses put forward to connect autism and vaccines were reliable as medical or scientific theories.
—Anna Kirkland, The Conversation, 15 Aug. 2025
Online trolls have come up with their own hypotheses for the internal strife.
—Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 8 Aug. 2025
Perhaps because the testing period doesn’t begin until 2026, the room shimmered with the optimism of a hundred as yet undisproved hypotheses.
—Tad Friend, New Yorker, 4 Aug. 2025
Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 14 Sep. 2025
Investigators initially had 12 hypotheses about what caused the deadly collapse, per The Miami Herald.
—Madison E. Goldberg, PEOPLE, 10 Sep. 2025
But, of course, everything is constantly changing and evolving; therefore, especially within the ever-expanding domain of wealth management, the best advisors will always be open to testing former hypotheses and determining whether newer ideas will better serve their clients.
—Tim Maurer, Forbes.com, 31 Aug. 2025
Initial hypotheses suggested those become more elaborate over time in response to the growing threat of Cretaceous predators.
—ArsTechnica, 28 Aug. 2025
One thing the different hypotheses tend to have in common is an emphasis on the cooling effects of rainfall.
—Chris Mooney, CNN Money, 19 Aug. 2025
The special masters deciding the cases found that none of the causation hypotheses put forward to connect autism and vaccines were reliable as medical or scientific theories.
—Anna Kirkland, The Conversation, 15 Aug. 2025
Online trolls have come up with their own hypotheses for the internal strife.
—Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 8 Aug. 2025
Perhaps because the testing period doesn’t begin until 2026, the room shimmered with the optimism of a hundred as yet undisproved hypotheses.
—Tad Friend, New Yorker, 4 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hypotheses
Noun
-
Mid-century collective behavior theories considered social movements to be nonrational, spontaneous events occurring during moments of social and cultural breakdown.—
The Editors,
JSTOR Daily,
10 Sep. 2025
-
Testing particle physics theories, the $8 billion LHC was composed of superconducting magnets that allowed scientists to study subatomic particles including protons, electrons, quarks and photons.—
Lorenzino Estrada,
AZCentral.com,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
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There’s humor, insight, and a ton of catchy and inventive premises here.—
James Folta,
Literary Hub,
10 Sep. 2025
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These failures occurred when the AI models confabulated successful operations and built subsequent actions on false premises, highlighting the risks of depending on AI assistants that can misinterpret file structures or fabricate data to hide their errors.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Other works create entirely new worlds with different assumptions and frameworks underpinning their social and other dynamics.—
The Editors,
JSTOR Daily,
10 Sep. 2025
-
For centuries, businesses, governments and societies have relied on deterministic assumptions.—
Richie Etwaru,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hypotheses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hypotheses. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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