Theoretical

How to spell theoretical

11 letters · 5 syllables

How to pronounce theoretical

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does theoretical mean?

1. adjectiveConcerned with ideas and principles rather than practical application or proven fact.

Theoretical in a sentence

• The proposal looks sound on a theoretical level, but the budget has not been tested.

• Her thesis explored the theoretical basis of modern economics.

Where does theoretical come from?

Language of origin: Greek

The word descends from the Greek theoretikos, meaning 'contemplative' or 'able to be observed in the mind', which was built on the verb theorein, 'to look at, to consider, to speculate'. That verb in turn came from theoros, a 'spectator', someone sent to watch and report on a festival or an oracle, so the earliest flavour of the root was literally about looking and observing rather than abstract reasoning. The sense gradually moved from physical watching to mental contemplation, and the related noun theoria gave English the word 'theory'. Latin borrowed the term as theoreticus, and from there it entered English in the early 1600s, first describing knowledge that concerns ideas rather than practice. The same theor- root sits inside 'theory' and 'theorem', which is a helpful anchor: the spelling keeps the 'theor' spelling of its parent, and the trap lies in the unstressed schwa vowels of the middle, theo-RET-ical.

How the word is built

• theor- (from Greek theoria: contemplation, speculation)
• -et-
• -ic (relating to)
• -al (adjective suffix)