Hypothetical

/ˌhaɪpəˈθɛtɪkəl/ · adjective

Meaning

Based upon a hypothesis; conjectural..

Definitions by Sense

1. Based upon a hypothesis; conjectural.
2. (philosophy) Conditional; contingent upon some hypothesis/antecedent.
3. A possible or hypothetical situation or proposition.

Example Sentences

Such a subjunctive as appears in the principal clause (i.e. the apodosis) of a conditional sentence may be called a hypothetical subjunctive. An hypothetical subjunctive expresses an action¹ which, while its non-occurrence is implied, is yet supposed to occur, if some other action occur.

To establish standing under Article III, a plaintiff must satisfy the following three requirements: (1) "the plaintiff must have suffered an injury in fact - an invasion of a legally protected interest which is (a) concrete and particularized, and (b) actual or imminent, not conjectural or hypothetical"; ...

These hypotheticals serve no purpose until we have more information.

He told ABC News: “Just to give you a hypothetical, we would respond by leading a Nato – a collective – effort that would take out every Russian conventional force that we can see and identify on the battlefield in Ukraine and also in Crimea and every ship in the Black sea.”

Philosophers of doom tend to get hung up on elaborate sci-fi-inflected hypotheticals.

Synonyms for hypothetical

Antonyms for hypothetical

Related Words

Word Forms

• more hypothetical
• most hypothetical
• hypotheticals

Usage Notes

Choose a synonym only when it preserves the intended meaning, tone, and grammar of the full sentence.

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