as in theoretical
existing only as an assumption or speculation
we talked about what we would do in various hypothetical emergencies
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as in assumption
something taken as being true or factual and used as a starting point for a course of action or reasoning
believes that predictions of the extinction of certain species as the result of global warming are based upon too many hypotheticals
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Recent Examples of hypothetical
Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 13 Feb. 2026
Diplo also envisions a hypothetical race with Barker, Gunna and Jelly Roll, with the winner getting $100,000 to give to his favorite charity.
—Katie Bain, Billboard, 11 Feb. 2026
Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 18 Dec. 2025
That’s a scary thought dependent on a whole lot of hypotheticals, but the theoretical doomsday is a strong reminder for moviegoers to find community that’s small and local.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 16 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hypothetical
Adjective
Responsibility is a group effort For Ahmet Öksüz, chairman of the Istanbul Textile and Raw Materials Exporters Association, the need for systemic transformation is no longer some future-facing hypothetical, but rather an existential imperative that demands both innovation and conscience.
—Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 13 Feb. 2026
Diplo also envisions a hypothetical race with Barker, Gunna and Jelly Roll, with the winner getting $100,000 to give to his favorite charity.
—Katie Bain, Billboard, 11 Feb. 2026
Noun
His forthcoming book outlines a series of extreme hypotheticals, including succession scenarios triggered by national emergencies.
—Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 18 Dec. 2025
That’s a scary thought dependent on a whole lot of hypotheticals, but the theoretical doomsday is a strong reminder for moviegoers to find community that’s small and local.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 16 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hypothetical
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hypothetical
Adjective
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Earlier theoretical work showed that combining spatial mode sorting with long-baseline interferometry could reach the true quantum limit for resolving two stars.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
21 Feb. 2026
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The firm’s Chapter 11 practice is intentionally selective, focusing on cases with realistic paths to confirmation rather than theoretical restructuring plans.—
Daniel Fusch,
USA Today,
20 Feb. 2026
Noun
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And even the Panthers, Inter Miami and Canes football had endured long dry spells off the national radar until recently, while all the while the Heat relentlessly won, relentlessly competed, the consistent success taken for granted by the mere assumption of it — the standard Pat Riley built here.—
Greg Cote
February 25,
Miami Herald,
25 Feb. 2026
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If California is serious about safety, the next governor must ground their approach in evidence instead of fear, slogans, media hype, or outdated assumptions.—
Jose Bernal,
Oc Register,
24 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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It should be noted that in-hand images of the black colorway have yet to surface and pictured here are instead speculative mock-ups of what the pair is expected to look like.—
Riley Jones,
Footwear News,
21 Feb. 2026
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With a top-notch cast and slick production design, Churchill’s clever concoction of speculative fiction, corporate satire and family drama remains sharp and timely.—
Emily McClanathan,
Chicago Tribune,
20 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The tobacco trials — which took place over decades but began to shift in favor of plaintiffs in the ’90s — similarly saw various types of plaintiffs file a wave of lawsuits, contributing to the release of internal documents and testing new legal theories.—
Clare Duffy,
CNN Money,
22 Feb. 2026
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Analysts offer competing, somewhat contradictory theories about the software selloff.—
Daniel de Visé,
USA Today,
22 Feb. 2026
Noun
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So, one hypothesis would be that your friend’s toddler got sick, and those invaders killed off a lot of his beneficial gut microbes.—
Adam Cohen,
Oklahoman,
17 Feb. 2026
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However, instead of being a dead end for the Chrysalis hypothesis, the simulations opened another door, and the key was another moon of Saturn, Hyperion, which orbits just beyond Titan.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
17 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hypothetical.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hypothetical. Accessed 27 Feb. 2026.
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