hypothetical

adjective
UK: /ˌhaɪ.pəˈθet.ɪ.kəl/
US: /ˌhaɪ.poʊˈθet.ɪ.kəl/

  1. Based on a situation that is not real, but imagined in order to understand something.

    1. This is a hypothetical situation.
    2. Let's consider a hypothetical case to illustrate this point about hypothetical situation.

  2. Something that is based on a possible idea or situation rather than one that is known to exist, and is used to explain something

    1. That is a hypothetical example to show the problem.
    2. The professor presented a hypothetical scenario to stimulate class discussion about hypothetical nature of the problem.

Synonyms

supposed speculative conjectural assumed theoretical
hypothetical noun

  1. A hypothetical proposition or statement.

    1. Let's discuss the hypothetical.
    2. The exercise involved analyzing several hypotheticals to test our decision-making skills.

Frequently Asked Questions

The word "hypothetical" in English means: Based on a situation that is not real, but imagined in order to understand something., Something that is based on a possible idea or situation rather than one that is known to exist, and is used to explain something.

The phonetic transcription of "hypothetical" is /ˌhaɪ.pəˈθet.ɪ.kəl/ in British English and /ˌhaɪ.poʊˈθet.ɪ.kəl/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "hypothetical": supposed, speculative, conjectural, assumed, theoretical.

Example usage of "hypothetical": "This is a hypothetical situation.". More examples on the page.