Hypothetical

How to spell hypothetical

12 letters · 5 syllables

How to pronounce hypothetical

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does hypothetical mean?

1. adjectiveBased on a possible situation that is supposed or imagined rather than real, often used to explore consequences.
2. nounAn imagined situation or example proposed for the sake of argument or discussion.

Hypothetical in a sentence

• adjective

  The interviewer posed a hypothetical question about how she would handle a budget cut.

• noun

  The lawyer offered a hypothetical to test how the jury might react.

• adjective

  The tax model rests on a purely hypothetical household with two earners.

• noun

  The professor opened the seminar with a hypothetical about a sinking ship.

Where does hypothetical come from?

Language of origin: Greek

This word traces back to the Greek hypothetikos, meaning 'pertaining to a supposition'. That adjective grew out of hypothesis, literally a 'placing under', from hypotithenai, which combines hypo meaning 'under' with tithenai meaning 'to put or place'. The underlying image is of laying a foundation beneath an argument, a base on which reasoning can be built, even if that base is only assumed rather than proven. English borrowed the word in the late 1500s, by way of Latin hypotheticus, and it has always carried the sense of something supposed for the sake of argument. The same tithenai root sits inside 'thesis' and 'theme', which is a useful reminder that the awkward middle of the word is spelled thet, not thed.

How the word is built

• hypo- (under, beneath)
• thet (from tithenai: to place, to put)
• -ical (adjective suffix)