SPECULATES Synonyms: 34 Similar and Opposite Words

speculates

verb

present tense third-person singular of speculate

as in assumes

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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Example Sentences

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Recent Examples of speculates Perhaps the closest analogue, Köhler speculates, are wellness retreats. — Veronique Greenwood, Time, 9 July 2026 In the 2021 edition of the novel published by Ediciones Uniandes, Carolina Alzate speculates that this could be referring to a town near Natagaima, currently in Tolima. — Literary Hub, 1 July 2026 Sandoval then speculates that Victoria, who was sitting in a nearby chair, was recording the dispute. — Charna Flam, PEOPLE, 26 June 2026 Then there’s the design of work question, Sen speculates. — Joe McKendrick, Forbes.com, 26 June 2026 The feds did not specify the exact reason for the order, but Anthropic speculates that the directive may be related to a potential jailbreaking method for Fable 5. — Will McCurdy, PC Magazine, 13 June 2026 Since glaciers didn’t flow right into Salisbury, the study speculates the stone, thought to have served as an altar, was deposited hundreds of miles east, beneath what is now the North Sea. — Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 4 June 2026 O’Farrell speculates, reasonably, that Hamnet may have been a victim of bubonic plague, and her book centers on the family’s grief in the aftermath of his death. — Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 1 June 2026 The purpose of manganese in the region below the aculeus, the team speculates, is probably to improve the flexibility and absorption of vibrations. — Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 1 May 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for speculates

Verb

Standardization assumes what worked in one market will work everywhere.

— Teja Chekuri, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026
But the action is nullified by the fact that Ono assumes the stoic posture of the Buddhist monks seen in the news at the time setting themselves aflame in protest of the Vietnam War.

— Classical Music Critic, Los Angeles Times, 21 July 2026

Definition of assumes

Verb

SpaceX thinks Starship's combination of power and reusability will revolutionize spaceflight, allowing humanity to settle the moon and Mars, among other bold exploration feats.

— Mike Wall, Space.com, 16 July 2026
Morgentaler, on the other hand, thinks screening even without specific symptoms can provide important insight into a man’s health, and with the right medical oversight, overtreatment can be avoided.

— Annalisa Merelli, STAT, 16 July 2026

Definition of thinks

Verb

That’s certainly the case in the epic poem The Odyssey, which imagines a push and pull between Athena and her uncle Poseidon over the fate of Odysseus.

— Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 17 July 2026
One imagines Naipaul returning from Jonestown and San Francisco, shaping despair into limber, unforgettable sentences, approaching the absolute terror and humanity of his moment—and none of it mattered.

— Hua Hsu, New Yorker, 14 July 2026

Definition of imagines

Verb

Given the number of people involved in the current outbreak already, Mandrell suspects there may be multiple sources of contamination, since this is the time that the parasite generally flourishes.

— Alice Park, Time, 17 July 2026
Then ask what the bank does when an employee suspects financial exploitation.

— Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 17 July 2026