conjecture
Plural: conjectures
Noun
- a hypothesis that has been formed by speculating or conjecturing (usually with little hard evidence)
- "he dismissed it as mere conjecture"
- a message expressing an opinion based on incomplete evidence
- reasoning that involves the formation of conclusions from incomplete evidence
- A statement or an idea which is unproven, but is thought to be true; a guess.
- A supposition based upon incomplete evidence; a hypothesis.
- A statement likely to be true based on available evidence, but which has not been formally proven.
- Interpretation of signs and omens.
Verb
- to believe especially on uncertain or tentative grounds
- To guess; to venture an unproven idea.
- To infer on slight evidence; to guess at.
Examples
- I do not know if it is true; I am simply conjecturing here.
- I explained it, but it is pure conjecture whether he understood, or not.
- The physicist used his conjecture about subatomic particles to design an experiment.
Origin / Etymology
From Old French, from Latin coniectūra (“a guess”), from coniectus, perfect passive participle of cōniciō (“throw or cast together; guess”), from con- (“together”) + iaciō (“throw, hurl”); see jet. Compare adjective, eject, inject, project, reject, subject, object, trajectory, deject, abject, surjection, bijection, interject.
Compare typologically Russian прики́дывать (prikídyvatʹ) (akin to кида́ть (kidátʹ)).
Synonyms
guess, hypothecate, hypothesis, hypothesise, hypothesize, speculate, speculation, suppose, supposition, surmisal, surmise, theorise, theorize
Scrabble Score: 21
conjecture: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Wordconjecture: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
conjecture: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary