SPECULATED Synonyms: 34 Similar and Opposite Words

speculated

verb

past tense of speculate

as in guessed

to form an opinion from little or no evidence I speculate that someone has been using this cabin as a trysting place

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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 speculated Some later speculated that their relationship was romantic, though the claim was never substantiated. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 4 Sep. 2026 Critics have long speculated that his depiction was satirical—that the first utopian literary work was, at least in part, dystopian. — Boris Kachka, The Atlantic, 4 Sep. 2026 While no official performance specs have been shared yet, reports have speculated that this super-SUV variant of the RX could have a 600-horsepower hybrid powertrain. — Andrew P. Collins, The Drive, 3 Sep. 2026 Previous work conducted by Ramachandran’s team identified a structure called a neuroproteasome among the translation machinery, which is speculated to weed out misfolded proteins. — Mike McRae 03, New Atlas, 3 Sep. 2026 People close to Newsom privately speculated that the culprit might be a foreign power looking to undermine the California governor’s seemingly inevitable 2028 presidential campaign. — Max Tani, semafor.com, 2 Sep. 2026 Many have speculated Page might get nominated for an Oscar for the role. — James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 2 Sep. 2026 While some absences were due to ill health or politics at home and signaled in advance, analysts speculated others might be missing due to pressure from Beijing. — ABC News, 1 Sep. 2026 Love was unclear on the reasons for her volte-face, but speculated that Sky had failed to convince Bake Off stars like Paul Hollywood to make the switch. — Jake Kanter, Deadline, 29 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for speculated

Verb

Kuper even guessed Mannion could game plan and call a game just for rushing.

— Zach Berman, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
Each player secretly writes down a guess, and players who pick correctly gets points equal to the number of players who guessed correctly.

— Tasha Robinson, Vulture, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of guessed

Verb

Close relatives of Cabrera and Vela Gonzalez initially assumed ICE would clear up the issue.

— Itzel Luna, Los Angeles Times, 8 Sep. 2026
The resulting knowledge could eventually contribute to long-duration space missions, where reliable food production would be essential but natural sunlight, soil and stable environmental conditions cannot be assumed.

— Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of assumed

Verb

Fascinating and fraught internal team dynamics then played out, as Visma’s supposed two leaders, Vingegaard and Primož Roglič, initially struggled to adapt to Kuss being above them in the pecking order.

— Chris Marshall-Bell, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
Even within those strict parameters, the researchers discovered that about 1,200 AI agents that were not supposed to be communicating with each other used a covert message board.

— Shaun Raviv, CBS News, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of supposed

Verb

Manchester City’s long-standing deal with Etihad Airways is thought to bring in a higher yield but that also covers naming rights for the club’s stadium.

— James Pearce, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
Attending Sunday’s launch ceremony with Kim was his daughter, who is thought to be named Ju Ae and who experts think Kim is grooming to be his successor.

— Brad Lendon, CNN Money, 7 Sep. 2026

Definition of thought

Verb

The researchers surmised that the diets people ate in countries like Italy, Greece and Croatia had a protective effect on their hearts.

— Adam Cohen, Oklahoman, 25 Aug. 2026
One person surmised that Patrick Mahomes also has an unlimited amount of his favorite condiment.

— Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 24 Aug. 2026