as in hypothetical
existing only as an assumption or speculation
a speculative explanation of why this ancient pottery was found hundreds of miles from where it was made
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Recent Examples of speculative
But Baldoni's attorneys called the payday surrounding a potential sequel speculative.
—
Rebecca Keegan, NBC news, 28 Apr. 2026
In the early days, as new speculative players flood into a hot game, their fresh, incoming initial investments drive up the price of the associated crypto tokens, helping to fuel the profits of the speculative players that came in before them.
—ArsTechnica, 27 Apr. 2026
Ravinia recently released its concert schedule, and the CEO said he was shocked by the amount of speculative ticket sales.
—Noel Brennan, CBS News, 27 Apr. 2026
Last week, Cramer advised investors to avoid chasing POET shares after their dramatic rally, saying its business was too speculative.
—Alexa Lomonaco, CNBC, 27 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for speculative
Rebecca Keegan, NBC news, 28 Apr. 2026
In the early days, as new speculative players flood into a hot game, their fresh, incoming initial investments drive up the price of the associated crypto tokens, helping to fuel the profits of the speculative players that came in before them.
—ArsTechnica, 27 Apr. 2026
Ravinia recently released its concert schedule, and the CEO said he was shocked by the amount of speculative ticket sales.
—Noel Brennan, CBS News, 27 Apr. 2026
Last week, Cramer advised investors to avoid chasing POET shares after their dramatic rally, saying its business was too speculative.
—Alexa Lomonaco, CNBC, 27 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for speculative
Recent Examples of Synonyms for speculative
Adjective
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Eventually, Patterson acknowledged that this hypothetical real man was just a description of himself.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
3 May 2026
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More than a few of the teams included in that hypothetical opening round are from conferences whose champions have pulled off NCAA Tournament upsets in recent years.—
Ralph D. Russo,
New York Times,
30 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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With all of the film’s complicated theoretical physics and flowery musings about the power of love and time, going melodramatic could push the film into eyeroll territory.—
Chris Feil,
Vulture,
1 May 2026
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The emergence of synthetic performers such as Tilly Norwood reflects how quickly those questions have moved from theoretical to practical.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
1 May 2026
Adjective
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Projections of economic gains from major sporting events are typically optimistic, euphoric, chimerical or conjectural.—
Michael Hiltzik,
Los Angeles Times,
19 June 2025
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That statistic is somewhat conjectural, since the vast majority of rapes in India are apparently not reported.—
Mark Jenkins,
Washington Post,
7 Nov. 2023
Cite this Entry
“Speculative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/speculative. Accessed 7 May. 2026.
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