as in speculated
to think of or suggest ideas about what is possibly true or real; to form or suggest a theory about something
Many scientists have theorized about the possibility of life on other planets.
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Recent Examples of theorized
Dyson theorized that the most advanced alien civilizations would have the capacity to harvest the energy from their local star on a massive scale.
—
Chris Young, Interesting Engineering, 28 Jan. 2026
The authors theorized that because such people don’t feel a strong need to belong, failure might not sting so much, and the opportunity to distinguish themselves might be extra appealing.
—Anna Holmes, The Atlantic, 22 Jan. 2026
Previously, it had been theorized that only heavy seeds would be massive enough to facilitate the rapid growth of supermassive black holes.
—Robert Lea, Space.com, 22 Jan. 2026
Early bird dining causes problems Martinez theorized that the warming western Antarctic — the second-fasting heating place on Earth behind only the Arctic North Atlantic — means less sea ice.
—Seth Borenstein, Los Angeles Times, 21 Jan. 2026
The researchers theorized that if bats picked up on the Doppler effect, then the direction that the foliage treadmill was moving in would affect how fast the animals flew.
—Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 20 Jan. 2026
Cabrera theorized those involved in the killing could have hopped a fence and exited through the yard of a connecting property onto a desolate street that runs parallel to the highway.
—Graham Womack
updated January 15, Sacbee.com, 16 Jan. 2026
In interviews for seasons one and two, Oppenheimer, Van Patten, and White each theorized that Stephen is a narcissist.
—Dana Feldman, Forbes.com, 16 Jan. 2026
Apple does not allow partners to train on Apple user data, and Mudassir theorized that Apple may have concluded Google’s control over its ecosystem—such as owning its own cloud—could provide data privacy and intellectual property guarantees that perhaps OpenAI or Anthropic couldn’t match.
—Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 14 Jan. 2026
Chris Young, Interesting Engineering, 28 Jan. 2026
The authors theorized that because such people don’t feel a strong need to belong, failure might not sting so much, and the opportunity to distinguish themselves might be extra appealing.
—Anna Holmes, The Atlantic, 22 Jan. 2026
Previously, it had been theorized that only heavy seeds would be massive enough to facilitate the rapid growth of supermassive black holes.
—Robert Lea, Space.com, 22 Jan. 2026
Early bird dining causes problems Martinez theorized that the warming western Antarctic — the second-fasting heating place on Earth behind only the Arctic North Atlantic — means less sea ice.
—Seth Borenstein, Los Angeles Times, 21 Jan. 2026
The researchers theorized that if bats picked up on the Doppler effect, then the direction that the foliage treadmill was moving in would affect how fast the animals flew.
—Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 20 Jan. 2026
Cabrera theorized those involved in the killing could have hopped a fence and exited through the yard of a connecting property onto a desolate street that runs parallel to the highway.
—Graham Womack
updated January 15, Sacbee.com, 16 Jan. 2026
In interviews for seasons one and two, Oppenheimer, Van Patten, and White each theorized that Stephen is a narcissist.
—Dana Feldman, Forbes.com, 16 Jan. 2026
Apple does not allow partners to train on Apple user data, and Mudassir theorized that Apple may have concluded Google’s control over its ecosystem—such as owning its own cloud—could provide data privacy and intellectual property guarantees that perhaps OpenAI or Anthropic couldn’t match.
—Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 14 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for theorized
speculated
Verb
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The women then speculated about how the public would interpret the song’s inclusion in the film.—
Safiyah Riddle,
Fortune,
23 Jan. 2026
-
Instead of staying focused on policy, Patel said, the discussion veered into personal attacks after commenters singled her out as an immigrant and speculated about her religion.—
Nora O'Neill,
Charlotte Observer,
23 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Theorized.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/theorized. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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