hypothetical

adjective

hy·​po·​thet·​i·​cal ˌhī-pə-ˈthe-ti-kəl 

: involving or being based on a suggested idea or theory : being or involving a hypothesis : conjectural

hypothetical arguments

a hypothetical situation

hypothetical noun

Synonyms

• academic
• academical
• conjectural
• speculative
• suppositional
• theoretical
• theoretic

Examples of hypothetical in a Sentence

She described a hypothetical case to clarify her point.

we talked about what we would do in various hypothetical emergencies

Recent Examples on the Web

The pair continued to keep in contact — which consisted of Cruise sending Hamilton encouraging messages during races — and the racer eventually asked the actor to cast him in a hypothetical Top Gun sequel, years before Top Gun: Maverick actually came to fruition. —Carly Thomas, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Apr. 2024

In one hypothetical, voters ages 18 to 29 turn out at lower rates and give a slightly larger share of their vote to third-party contenders, which hurts Biden and helps Trump because this group has been strongly Democratic-leaning in recent times. —Geoffrey Skelley, ABC News, 4 Apr. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1588, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

hypothetical

adjective

hy·​po·​thet·​i·​cal ˌhi-pə-ˈthet-i-kəl 

1

: involving a hypothesis or the making of assumptions : assumed

2

: imagined for purposes of example

a hypothetical case

hypothetically

-i-k(ə-)lē 

adverb