conjectural
adjective
con·jec·tur·al
| \ kən-ˈjek-chə-rəl
, -ˈjek-shrəl\
, -ˈjek-shrəl\
Definition of conjectural
1
: of the nature of or involving or based on conjecture
Without evidence, his conclusions are only conjectural.
2
: given to conjectures
… a conjectural critic …— Samuel Johnson
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Synonyms & Antonyms for conjectural
Synonyms
academic (also academical), hypothetical, speculative, suppositional, theoretical (also theoretic)
Antonyms
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Examples of conjectural in a Sentence
a necessarily conjectural account of Shakespeare's life, since there is so little hard information
Recent Examples on the Web
For now, however, the role of the microbial seed bank and even its very presence remain conjectural. — Carrie Arnold, WIRED, "A Blazing Hot Coal Seam Shows How Microbes Can Spring to Life," 21 Apr. 2019 For example, the notion that Manson was a law enforcement or intelligence collaborator beggars belief and remains entirely conjectural. — Stephen Phillips, latimes.com, "What really happened in the Manson murders? ‘Chaos’ casts doubt on Helter Skelter theory," 12 July 2019 This is a cautionary tale about interpreting brain size only in the light of retrospectively applied conjectural needs for greater intelligence. — Paul Manger, Quartz Africa, "Elephants evolved larger brains partly thanks to climate change, say scientists," 28 June 2019 Physicists are also excited about a highly conjectural connection between moonshine and quantum gravity, the as-yet-undiscovered theory that will unite general relativity and quantum mechanics. — Quanta Magazine, "Mathematicians Chase Moonshine’s Shadow," 12 Mar. 2015 From here on out the argument gets extremely conjectural, though lots of the material is fascinating either way. — Christopher Tayler, Harper's magazine, "New Books," 10 Mar. 2019 Kennedy, meanwhile, occupies a largely conjectural space in history. — Benjamin Hedin, chicagotribune.com, "50 years later: 'The Promise and the Dream' explores interrupted work of MLK and Robert Kennedy," 28 Mar. 2018 Not mentioned in press accounts: Larsson’s extensions are entirely conjectural. — Sigal Samuel, The Atlantic, "The Strangely Revealing Debate Over Viking Couture," 17 Oct. 2017 To be sure, such chatter now is purely conjectural. — Albert R. Hunt | Bloomberg View, New York Times, "Hillary Clinton Can’t Rely on Donald Trump’s Unpopularity," 24 Apr. 2016These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'conjectural.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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