hypothetical

adjective · noun

Simple meaning

Conditional; contingent upon some hypothesis/antecedent.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

hypuhthehtuhkuhl

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US device voice

IPA pronunciation (US)

haɪpəˈθɛtəkəl

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

adjective

Based upon a hypothesis; conjectural.
philosophy
Conditional; contingent upon some hypothesis/antecedent.

noun

A hypothetical possibility, circumstance, statement, proposal, situation, etc.
“Consider the following, just as a hypothetical.”
A possible or hypothetical situation or proposition

Word at a Glance

Difficulty: B1 · Intermediate (estimated)
Frequency: Moderately Common
Typical Use: General and technical use

Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

Hypothetical / possible

hypothetical situationhypothetical model

Other combinations

hypothetical syllogismhypothetical casehypothetical examplehypothetical questionhypothetical datapurely hypothetical

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Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

hypothetical creaturenounCompound term
A creature that has not been observed but is hypothesized to exist.
hypothetical imperativenounCompound term
A principle stating the action required to attain a desired goal.

More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin

Synonyms

Sense: based upon a hypothesis

hypotheticRare

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What Does It Mean Here?

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Related Learning

Guides that use this word in context.

Word Differences
May vs. Might: What’s the Difference?
May suggests a higher likelihood or asks permission; might suggests a more remote possibility. Learn the nuance with examples.

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.