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

To get into this hypothetical portfolio, a stock must have five-year historical earnings growth of 25% a year or better, yet the stock price must be 12 times earnings or less. —John Dorfman, Forbes, 9 Dec. 2024

Nick Saban and others in the SEC often point to hypothetical point spreads or the number of NFL players on a team’s roster. —Chris Vannini, The Athletic, 9 Dec. 2024

This means that Teste consecrates himself to a basically hypothetical existence. —Benjamin Kunkel, The New Yorker, 9 Dec. 2024

But there's no evidence that any steps have been taken to make the hypothetical scenarios a reality. —Brieanna J. Frank, USA TODAY, 7 Dec. 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