as in guess
an opinion or judgment based on little or no evidence
the many conjectures about the true identity of Jack the Ripper
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
1
as in to estimate
to decide the size, amount, number, or distance of (something) without actual measurement
he conjectured that the theater could seat 1000 people more or less
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to guess
to form an opinion from little or no evidence
you're only conjecturing that he was the culprit
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of conjecture
Paula Allen, San Antonio Express-News, 31 Jan. 2026
The game cannot be obviously scripted, but a little controversy drives social media conjecture that builds engagement around a trending topic, while broadcasts show a blown call from every angle as the spectacle grows.
—Emil Steiner, Forbes.com, 30 Jan. 2026
Jack Murtagh, Scientific American, 22 Oct. 2025
There’s no end to conjectures about William Shakespeare’s life because there isn’t all that much definitive Shakespeareana to rake over.
—Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 28 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for conjecture
Noun
As for why the Morins framed and saved a photo of a riverside factory in Seguin, that’s open to conjecture.
—Paula Allen, San Antonio Express-News, 31 Jan. 2026
The game cannot be obviously scripted, but a little controversy drives social media conjecture that builds engagement around a trending topic, while broadcasts show a blown call from every angle as the spectacle grows.
—Emil Steiner, Forbes.com, 30 Jan. 2026
Verb
That’s because cutting-edge encryption shrouds information behind mathematical problems (such as factoring enormous numbers) that are conjectured to be unsolvable in any practical amount of time.
—Jack Murtagh, Scientific American, 22 Oct. 2025
There’s no end to conjectures about William Shakespeare’s life because there isn’t all that much definitive Shakespeareana to rake over.
—Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 28 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for conjecture
Recent Examples of Synonyms for conjecture
Noun
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The Twins are expected to carry eight relievers on their Opening Day roster; what that will look like is anyone’s guess.—
Betsy Helfand,
Twin Cities,
11 Feb. 2026
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My guess is that Vonn will, in time, mentally and emotionally move on from her crash in Cortina.—
Frederick Dreier,
Outside,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
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In September, the preliminary revision inferred that the US economy likely added about 911,000 fewer jobs than the jobs reports initially estimated for the 12-month period running from April 2024 through March 2025.—
Alicia Wallace,
CNN Money,
11 Feb. 2026
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Smook estimates the cost to be roughly $40,000.—
Alex Wigglesworth,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Until recently, the markets had assumed that companies would be buoyed by the massive amount of capex (capital expenditure) going into AI, and that AI would generate new efficiencies and higher productivity that would ultimately result in higher revenues and earnings per share.—
Jim Edwards,
Fortune,
5 Feb. 2026
-
In the past, scientists had assumed that the ability to pretend and consider multiple realities was unique to humans.—
Evan Bush,
NBC news,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Such theories were met with some skepticism by trade researchers at the time, and not all of the predictions have come true.—
Josh Ederington,
Fortune,
8 Feb. 2026
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As the search continues with no suspects or persons of interest, posts across Instagram, TikTok, X, Facebook and YouTube have put millions of eyeballs on tips and theories surrounding her disappearance.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
7 Feb. 2026
Verb
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All feature the game-changing Boa fit system, which makes adjusting the size (via an easy-to-reach dial) so simple that a four-year-old can figure it out.—
Katie Jackson,
Travel + Leisure,
9 Feb. 2026
-
Guojun and Li were in their late fifties, so the sisters figured the boy was a grandson.—
Ava Kofman,
New Yorker,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
You’re supposed to be focused on growth, not profitability.—
Ben Smith,
semafor.com,
14 Feb. 2026
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Originally supposed to fly Sierra Space Dream Chaser test flight, but payload switched to an inert mass simulator because of potential Dream Chaser delays beyond October launch date.—
Richard Tribou,
The Orlando Sentinel,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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However, the next key in understanding the problem was to calculate the effects of all the other planets on the orbit of Mercury.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
5 Feb. 2026
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These subtle changes allowed scientists to calculate the planet’s dimensions with unprecedented accuracy, refining measurements that had remained largely unchanged since the 1970s.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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In 2019, club members suspected Stellato of $20,000 worth of embezzlement and relieved him of his rear commodore position, according to court records.—
Nate Gartrell,
Mercury News,
5 Feb. 2026
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For some, the loss can be caused by genetics, while for others glue ear (as is suspected for my son), infection, or noise exposure could be among the reasons.—
Hannah Silverman,
Parents,
5 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Conjecture.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/conjecture. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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