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hypothesis

noun
hy·​poth·​e·​sis | \ hī-ˈpä-thə-səs How to pronounce hypothesis (audio) \
plural hypotheses\ hī-​ˈpä-​thə-​ˌsēz How to pronounce hypotheses (audio) \

Definition of hypothesis

1a : an assumption or concession made for the sake of argument
b : an interpretation of a practical situation or condition taken as the ground for action
2 : a tentative assumption made in order to draw out and test its logical or empirical consequences
3 : the antecedent clause of a conditional statement
Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym The Difference Between Hypothesis and Theory Example Sentences Learn More about hypothesis

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Choose the Right Synonym for hypothesis

hypothesis, theory, law mean a formula derived by inference from scientific data that explains a principle operating in nature. hypothesis implies insufficient evidence to provide more than a tentative explanation. a hypothesis explaining the extinction of the dinosaurs theory implies a greater range of evidence and greater likelihood of truth. the theory of evolution law implies a statement of order and relation in nature that has been found to be invariable under the same conditions. the law of gravitation

The Difference Between Hypothesis and Theory

A hypothesis is an assumption, an idea that is proposed for the sake of argument so that it can be tested to see if it might be true.

In the scientific method, the hypothesis is constructed before any applicable research has been done, apart from a basic background review. You ask a question, read up on what has been studied before, and then form a hypothesis.

A hypothesis is usually tentative; it's an assumption or suggestion made strictly for the objective of being tested.

A theory, in contrast, is a principle that has been formed as an attempt to explain things that have already been substantiated by data. It is used in the names of a number of principles accepted in the scientific community, such as the Big Bang Theory. Because of the rigors of experimentation and control, it is understood to be more likely to be true than a hypothesis is.

In non-scientific use, however, hypothesis and theory are often used interchangeably to mean simply an idea, speculation, or hunch, with theory being the more common choice.

Since this casual use does away with the distinctions upheld by the scientific community, hypothesis and theory are prone to being wrongly interpreted even when they are encountered in scientific contexts—or at least, contexts that allude to scientific study without making the critical distinction that scientists employ when weighing hypotheses and theories.

The most common occurrence is when theory is interpreted—and sometimes even gleefully seized upon—to mean something having less truth value than other scientific principles. (The word law applies to principles so firmly established that they are almost never questioned, such as the law of gravity.)

This mistake is one of projection: since we use theory in general to mean something lightly speculated, then it's implied that scientists must be talking about the same level of uncertainty when they use theory to refer to their well-tested and reasoned principles.

The distinction has come to the forefront particularly on occasions when the content of science curricula in schools has been challenged—notably, when a school board in Georgia put stickers on textbooks stating that evolution was "a theory, not a fact, regarding the origin of living things." As Kenneth R. Miller, a cell biologist at Brown University, has said, a theory "doesn’t mean a hunch or a guess. A theory is a system of explanations that ties together a whole bunch of facts. It not only explains those facts, but predicts what you ought to find from other observations and experiments.”

While theories are never completely infallible, they form the basis of scientific reasoning because, as Miller said "to the best of our ability, we’ve tested them, and they’ve held up."

Examples of hypothesis in a Sentence

In contrast to Bingham's hypothesis that Machu Picchu was the birthplace of the first Inca and the hearth area of the Inca civilization, current scholars believe that the city was built as a country estate … — Roger Balm, Focus On Geography, Spring 2004 Campus veterans marvel at all the poolside apartments that have sprung up since Georgia popped the income cap off its merit awards. Professors are testing their hypothesis that instead of increasing college enrollment, the state's $1.7 billion scholarship program has been a blessing for the automobile industry—since so many families roll the savings into buying new cars. — Greg Winter, New York Times, 31 Oct. 2002 Isaac Newton initially argued against a parabolic orbit for the … comet of 1680, preferring the hypothesis of two independent comets, one for the inbound and one for the outbound leg. However, Newton later showed that the orbit of the comet could indeed be fit by a parabola. — Daniel C. Boice and Walter Huebner, "Physics and Chemistry of Comets," in Encyclopedia of the Solar System Paul R. Weissman et al., editors,  1999 As stated, our working hypothesis suggests a straightforward way to look for evidence that would confirm or disconfirm it: can you predict what is omitted and what is included in alphabetic representations? — Timothy Shopen and Joseph M. Williams, Standards and Dialects in English, 1980 Other chemists rejected his hypothesis. Their hypothesis is that watching excessive amounts of television reduces a person's ability to concentrate. The results of the experiment did not support his hypothesis.
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Recent Examples on the Web

 Much of the Internet seemed to agree with its hypothesis, and the idea of her receiving the lifetime achievement award became a Twitter movement. — Andrew Unterberger, Billboard, "Who Should Receive the Video Vanguard Award Next? Ideas For the Next Ten Years of Winners," 13 Aug. 2019 His hypothesis is that things start when water droplets condense out of the humid air and onto the metal surface. — The Economist, "How to wring power from the night air," 1 Aug. 2019 However, the compilation technique and the fact that the only other occasion it was used was linked to [Turla] works against this hypothesis. — Dan Goodin, Ars Technica, "Nation-sponsored hackers likely carried out hostile takeover of rival group’s servers," 20 June 2019 As he and his colleagues homed in on the structure’s anatomy to prove this hypothesis, Coffey found a drawing by Leonardo depicting the mesentery as an uninterrupted structure. — Claudia Kalb, National Geographic, "Why Leonardo da Vinci’s brilliance endures, 500 years after his death," 12 June 2019 Reddit user ColdBeing brought this hypothesis to the forefront after yesterday's explosive episode, pointing to Bran's questionable behavior during the Battle of Winterfell. — Christopher Rosa, Glamour, "This Game of Thrones Theory Suggests Bran Is Actually Evil," 29 Apr. 2019 These foods might include citrus fruit, strawberries, nuts, and chocolate, among others, though more studies need to be done before researchers can confirm this hypothesis. — Krissy Brady, SELF, "Is Your Food Allergy Really a Histamine Intolerance?," 27 July 2018 Émigré scholars and nativist autodidacts met secretly in rural museums and published samizdat treatises filled with runic letters and outlandish ethnological hypotheses. — Jacob Mikanowski, Harper's magazine, "The Call of the Drums," 21 July 2019 But today the hypothesis that an individual's experience might alter the cells and behavior of their children and grandchildren has become widely accepted. — Andrew Curry, Science | AAAS, "Parents’ emotional trauma may change their children’s biology. Studies in mice show how," 18 July 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'hypothesis.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of hypothesis

1641, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

History and Etymology for hypothesis

Greek, from hypotithenai to put under, suppose, from hypo- + tithenai to put — more at do

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More Definitions for hypothesis

hypothesis

noun
How to pronounce hypothesis (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of hypothesis

: an idea or theory that is not proven but that leads to further study or discussion

See the full definition for hypothesis in the English Language Learners Dictionary

hypothesis

noun
hy·​poth·​e·​sis | \ hī-ˈpä-thə-səs How to pronounce hypothesis (audio) \
plural hypotheses\ -​ə-​ˌsēz \

Kids Definition of hypothesis

: something not proved but assumed to be true for purposes of argument or further study or investigation

hypothesis

noun
hy·​poth·​e·​sis | \ hī-ˈpäth-ə-səs How to pronounce hypothesis (audio) \
plural hypotheses\ -​ˌsēz

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