2 synonyms of hypothesis

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noun as in theory

Strongest matches

• explanation
• interpretation
• proposition
• supposition

Strong matches

• attribution
• demonstration
• presupposition
• speculation

Weak matches

• shot in the dark
• starting point
• tentative law

Discover More

Related words.

Words related to hypothesis are not direct synonyms, but are associated with the word hypothesis . Browse related words to learn more about word associations.

noun as in taking something for granted; something expected

• expectation
• postulation
• presumption
• sneaking suspicion
• theorization

noun as in putting regard in as true

• understanding

noun as in something regarded as true

• fundamental
• gospel truth

noun as in idea

• abstraction
• apprehension
• conceptualization
• consideration
• fool notion
• intellection

Viewing 5 / 29 related words

Example Sentences

Each one is a set of questions we’re fascinated by and hypotheses we’re testing.

Mousa’s research hinges on the “contact hypothesis,” the idea that positive interactions among rival group members can reduce prejudices.

Do more research on it, come up with a hypothesis as to why it underperforms, and try to improve it.

Now is the time to test your hypotheses to figure out what’s changing in your customers’ worlds, and address these topics directly.

Whether computing power alone is enough to fuel continued machine learning breakthroughs is a source of debate, but it seems clear we’ll be able to test the hypothesis.

Though researchers have struggled to understand exactly what contributes to this gender difference, Dr. Rohan has one hypothesis.

The leading hypothesis for the ultimate source of the Ebola virus, and where it retreats in between outbreaks, lies in bats.

In 1996, John Paul II called the Big Bang theory “more than a hypothesis.”

To be clear: There have been no double-blind or controlled studies that conclusively confirm this hair-loss hypothesis.

The bacteria-driven-ritual hypothesis ignores the huge diversity of reasons that could push someone to perform a religious ritual.

And remember it is by our hypothesis the best possible form and arrangement of that lesson.

Taken in connection with what we know of the nebulæ, the proof of Laplace's nebular hypothesis may fairly be regarded as complete.

What has become of the letter from M. de St. Mars, said to have been discovered some years ago, confirming this last hypothesis?

To admit that there had really been any communication between the dead man and the living one is also an hypothesis.

"I consider it highly probable," asserted Aunt Maria, forgetting her Scandinavian hypothesis.

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On this page you'll find 80 synonyms, antonyms, and words related to hypothesis, such as: assumption, axiom, conclusion, conjecture, explanation, and guess.

From Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.

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What is another word for hypothesis ?

Synonyms for hypothesis haɪˈpɒθ ə sɪs, hɪ-; -ˌsiz hy·poth·e·sis, this thesaurus page includes all potential synonyms, words with the same meaning and similar terms for the word hypothesis ., wiktionary rate these synonyms: 4.0 / 1 vote.

• hypothesis noun

Synonyms: guess , supposition , thesis , theory , educated guess

Used loosely, a tentative conjecture explaining an observation, phenomenon or scientific problem that can be tested by further observation, investigation and/or experimentation. As a scientific term of art, see the attached quotation. Compare to theory, and quotation given there.

Synonyms: theory , thesis , supposition , guess , educated guess

An assumption taken to be true for the purpose of argument or investigation.

Synonyms: supposition , theory , thesis , guess , educated guess

The antecedent of a conditional statement.

Synonyms: educated guess , guess , thesis , supposition , theory

English Synonyms and Antonyms Rate these synonyms: 0.0 / 0 votes

A hypothesis is a statement of what is deemed possibly true, assumed and reasoned upon as if certainly true, with a view of reaching truth not yet surely known; especially, in the sciences, a hypothesis is a comprehensive tentative explanation of certain phenomena, which is meant to include all other facts of the same class, and which is assumed as true till there has been opportunity to bring all related facts into comparison; if the hypothesis explains all the facts, it is regarded as verified; till then it is regarded as a working hypothesis , that is, one that may answer for present practical purposes. A hypothesis may be termed a comprehensive guess . A guess is a swift conclusion from data directly at hand, and held as probable or tentative, while one confessedly lacks material for absolute certainty. A conjecture is more methodical than a guess , while a supposition is still slower and more settled; a conjecture , like a guess , is preliminary and tentative; a supposition is more nearly final; a surmise is more floating and visionary, and often sinister; as, a surmise that a stranger may be a pickpocket. Theory is used of the mental coordination of facts and principles, that may or may not prove correct; a machine may be perfect in theory , but useless in fact. Scheme may be used as nearly equivalent to theory , but is more frequently applied to proposed action, and in the sense of a somewhat visionary plan. A speculation may be wholly of the brain, resting upon no facts worthy of consideration; system is the highest of these terms, having most of assurance and fixity; a system unites many facts, phenomena, or doctrines into an orderly and consistent whole; we speak of a system of theology, of the Copernican system of the universe. Compare SYSTEM.

Synonyms: conjecture , guess , scheme , speculation , supposition , surmise , system , theory

Antonyms: certainty , demonstration , discovery , evidence , fact , proof

Princeton's WordNet Rate these synonyms: 1.0 / 1 vote

a proposal intended to explain certain facts or observations

Synonyms: theory , surmisal , possibility , guess , conjecture , supposition , surmise , speculation

hypothesis, possibility, theory noun

a tentative insight into the natural world; a concept that is not yet verified but that if true would explain certain facts or phenomena

"a scientific hypothesis that survives experimental testing becomes a scientific theory"; "he proposed a fresh theory of alkalis that later was accepted in chemical practices"

Synonyms: theory , possibleness , surmisal , possibility , opening , guess , conjecture , possible action , supposition , surmise , speculation

guess, conjecture, supposition, surmise, surmisal, speculation, hypothesis noun

a message expressing an opinion based on incomplete evidence

Synonyms: guess , possibility , conjecture , surmise , guesswork , theory , meditation , venture , supposition , dead reckoning , guessing , surmisal , supposal , assumption , speculation , shot

Matched Categories

Dictionary of english synonymes rate these synonyms: 0.0 / 0 votes.

Synonyms: supposition , theory

PPDB, the paraphrase database Rate these paraphrases: 0.0 / 0 votes

List of paraphrases for "hypothesis":

assumption , premise , assumptions , assumed , scenario , supposition , conjecture , hypothetical

Suggested Resources

Hypothesis vs. Prediction -- In this Grammar.com article you will learn the differences between the words Hypothesis and Prediction.

How to pronounce hypothesis?

How to say hypothesis in sign language, words popularity by usage frequency, how to use hypothesis in a sentence.

Chuck Meide :

Everything we've seen on it so far fits that hypothesis ; wooden planking, wood timbers, iron fasteners, they look quite similar to other ships from the 1800s that we have seen.

Shiladitya DasSarma :

That's where it might make a difference when we look at exoplanets. We would want to consider that the pigments on an alien planet might be different than what we have on modern Earth, and if the Purple Earth hypothesis was correct and there was a dominance of purple organisms in the early Earth, then we might be able to find another planet that's at an earlier stage of evolution of the planet, where the purple pigments might have dominated.

Drew Holden :

These awards are a good reminder about how much of corporate news coverage is not designed to educate everyday Americans but to win the praise of other elite, progressive institutions, cNN earning an award for coverage of the coronavirus outbreak, despite getting it wrong on masks, the lab leak hypothesis, transmission of the virus and more? ‘Nightline’ winning an award for the kidnapping plot of Governor Whitmer, which we’ve since come to find out involved more FBI agents and informants than actual perpetrators? You’ve got story after story listed for awards that not only got material facts wrong but for which other outlets did a far better job of getting the truth.

Alessandro Villa :

Again, its a hypothesis.

Peter Ben Embarek :

However, the findings suggest that the laboratory incidents hypothesis is extremely unlikely to explain the introduction of the virus to the human population, therefore it is not a hypothesis that weadvise to suggest future studies ... into the understanding of the origin of the virus.

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• hypothermia noun
• hypothermic adj
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• hypothesize verb
• hypothesized
• hypothetic adj
• hypothetical adj

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Definition of hypothesis

Did you know.

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."

• proposition
• supposition

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.

theory implies a greater range of evidence and greater likelihood of truth.

law implies a statement of order and relation in nature that has been found to be invariable under the same conditions.

Examples of hypothesis in a Sentence

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hypothesis.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

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

1641, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing hypothesis

• counter - hypothesis
• nebular hypothesis
• null hypothesis
• planetesimal hypothesis
• Whorfian hypothesis

Articles Related to hypothesis

This is the Difference Between a...

This is the Difference Between a Hypothesis and a Theory

In scientific reasoning, they're two completely different things

Dictionary Entries Near hypothesis

hypothermia

hypothesize

Cite this Entry

“Hypothesis.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary , Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hypothesis. Accessed 2 Apr. 2024.

Kids Definition

Kids definition of hypothesis, medical definition, medical definition of hypothesis, more from merriam-webster on hypothesis.

Nglish: Translation of hypothesis for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of hypothesis for Arabic Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about hypothesis

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Definition of hypothesis noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

• to formulate/confirm a hypothesis
• a hypothesis about the function of dreams
• There is little evidence to support these hypotheses.
• formulate/​advance a theory/​hypothesis
• build/​construct/​create/​develop a simple/​theoretical/​mathematical model
• develop/​establish/​provide/​use a theoretical/​conceptual framework
• advance/​argue/​develop the thesis that…
• explore an idea/​a concept/​a hypothesis
• make a prediction/​an inference
• base a prediction/​your calculations on something
• investigate/​evaluate/​accept/​challenge/​reject a theory/​hypothesis/​model
• design an experiment/​a questionnaire/​a study/​a test
• do research/​an experiment/​an analysis
• make observations/​measurements/​calculations
• carry out/​conduct/​perform an experiment/​a test/​a longitudinal study/​observations/​clinical trials
• run an experiment/​a simulation/​clinical trials
• repeat an experiment/​a test/​an analysis
• replicate a study/​the results/​the findings
• observe/​study/​examine/​investigate/​assess a pattern/​a process/​a behaviour
• fund/​support the research/​project/​study
• seek/​provide/​get/​secure funding for research
• collect/​gather/​extract data/​information
• yield data/​evidence/​similar findings/​the same results
• analyse/​examine the data/​soil samples/​a specimen
• consider/​compare/​interpret the results/​findings
• fit the data/​model
• confirm/​support/​verify a prediction/​a hypothesis/​the results/​the findings
• prove a conjecture/​hypothesis/​theorem
• draw/​make/​reach the same conclusions
• read/​review the records/​literature
• describe/​report an experiment/​a study
• present/​publish/​summarize the results/​findings
• present/​publish/​read/​review/​cite a paper in a scientific journal
• Her hypothesis concerns the role of electromagnetic radiation.
• Her study is based on the hypothesis that language simplification is possible.
• It is possible to make a hypothesis on the basis of this graph.
• None of the hypotheses can be rejected at this stage.
• Scientists have proposed a bold hypothesis.
• She used this data to test her hypothesis
• The hypothesis predicts that children will perform better on task A than on task B.
• The results confirmed his hypothesis on the use of modal verbs.
• These observations appear to support our working hypothesis.
• a speculative hypothesis concerning the nature of matter
• an interesting hypothesis about the development of language
• Advances in genetics seem to confirm these hypotheses.
• His hypothesis about what dreams mean provoked a lot of debate.
• Research supports the hypothesis that language skills are centred in the left side of the brain.
• The survey will be used to test the hypothesis that people who work outside the home are fitter and happier.
• This economic model is really a working hypothesis.
• speculative
• concern something
• be based on something
• predict something
• on a/​the hypothesis
• hypothesis about
• hypothesis concerning

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• It would be pointless to engage in hypothesis before we have the facts.

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Nearby words.

• Cambridge Dictionary +Plus

Meaning of hypothesis in English

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• abstraction
• afterthought
• anthropocentrism
• anti-Darwinian
• exceptionalism
• foundation stone
• great minds think alike idiom
• non-dogmatic
• non-empirical
• non-material
• non-practical
• social Darwinism
• supersensible
• the domino theory

hypothesis | American Dictionary

Hypothesis | business english, examples of hypothesis, translations of hypothesis.

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peanut butter (= a soft food made from crushed peanuts) and jam (= a soft sweet food made from fruit and sugar), or a sandwich with these inside. PB&J is short for peanut butter and jelly.

Sitting on the fence (Newspaper idioms)

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Did you solve it? Best pub quiz questions ever

The answers to today’s questions

Earlier today I set you the following mini-pub quiz, based on wordplay puzzles from The Cryptic Pub Quiz Book by Frank Paul. Here they are again with answers.

Round 1: Synonyms

Change one letter of each word to make pairs of synonyms. Thus “paid and dug” could be “pair and duo”

a) Mistress and buffering

b) Engage and maiden

c) Aware and prime

Answers : a) Distress and suffering. b) Enrage and madden. c) Award and prize.

Round 2: Spoonerisms

The answer to these questions are spoonerisms, a phrase repeated with its initial sounds swapped. Thus the answer to “What’s the difference between a lovely glove and a small, silent cat”?” is “One’s a cute mitten , and one’s a mute kitten .”

What’s the difference between:

a) a martial arts star and unpackaged French cheese?

b) an intrigued visitor to our shores and someone angrily holding an inquest into a death?

c) the jewellery of Vermeer’s painted girl and an aristocratic Peeping Tom?

Answers a) Bruce Lee, loose brie. b) curious foreigner, furious coroner. c) pearl earring, earl peering.

Round 3: Roman numerals

The first part defines a word and a Roman numeral. When you add the letters of the Roman numeral to the word, you get the word described after the equals sign. You can add the Roman numerals either before, in the middle of, or after the word. Thus “objectively sentimental + 55 = a dozen” is solved as TWEE + LV = TWELVE

a) A growth that can form on the body + 151 = someone who propels a vehicle

b) Bambi, for example + 54 = carry or transfer to someone

c) A small bed + 2,001 = perpetrate

Answers : a) CYST + CLI = CYCLIST. b) DEER + LIV = DELIVER. c) COT +MMI = COMMIT

Round 4: Fish

a) What is the only London tube station that contains none of the letters of the word “mackerel”?

b) What is the only US state that contains none of the letters of the word “mackerel”?

c) What is the only chemical element that contains none of the letters of the word “mackerel” (It is also the one with the shortest name)

Answers : a) St John’s Wood. b) Ohio. c) Tin.

Round 5: Mammals

Guess each pair of words. Each are spelled identically except for the addition of the name of a mammal inserted inside, or at either end, of the second word. Thus “a filled pastry and a marauder” is “pie and pi rat e”

a) Fell and a part of a plant used to symbolise desolation or an awkward silence.

b) Dishonest statements and events at which winners are selected at random from among ticketholders

c) Agreed and elaborate or difficult

Answers: a) Tumbled and tumbl EWE ed. b) Lies and L OTTER ies. c) Complied and compli CAT ed

The Cryptic Pub Quiz Book by Frank Paul is out on Thursday April 4 and can be bought on the Guardian Bookshop or other online retailers .

I’ve been setting a puzzle here on alternate Mondays since 2015. I’m always on the look-out for great puzzles. If you would like to suggest one, email me .

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Definition of 'hypothesis'

Video: pronunciation of hypothesis

hypothesis in British English

Hypothesis in american english, examples of 'hypothesis' in a sentence hypothesis, cobuild collocations hypothesis, trends of hypothesis.

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In other languages hypothesis

• American English : hypothesis / haɪˈpɒθɪsɪs /
• Brazilian Portuguese : hipótese
• Chinese : 假设
• European Spanish : hipótesis
• French : hypothèse
• German : Hypothese
• Italian : ipotesi
• Japanese : 仮説
• Korean : 가설
• European Portuguese : hipótese
• Latin American Spanish : hipótesis
• Thai : สมมุติฐาน

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• null hypothesis
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