as in hypothetical
existing only as an assumption or speculation
a speculative explanation of why this ancient pottery was found hundreds of miles from where it was made
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of speculative
For investors able to differentiate between durable platforms and speculative business models, this is the kind of environment where long-term positions can be built.
—
Steven Dudash, Forbes.com, 15 May 2026
In an interview with Fortune, Cerebras CEO Andrew Feldman said that the demand for AI chips like those from Cerebras, which are used specifically for inference, or to actually run frontier AI models once they are trained, is not speculative.
—Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 14 May 2026
The payoff was too far out and speculative.
—Gautam Mukunda, Twin Cities, 14 May 2026
The actor, 73, is taking on a new role as an author with his debut book, a speculative novel due out this fall.
—Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 14 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for speculative
Steven Dudash, Forbes.com, 15 May 2026
In an interview with Fortune, Cerebras CEO Andrew Feldman said that the demand for AI chips like those from Cerebras, which are used specifically for inference, or to actually run frontier AI models once they are trained, is not speculative.
—Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 14 May 2026
The payoff was too far out and speculative.
—Gautam Mukunda, Twin Cities, 14 May 2026
The actor, 73, is taking on a new role as an author with his debut book, a speculative novel due out this fall.
—Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 14 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for speculative
Recent Examples of Synonyms for speculative
Adjective
-
Polls show Donalds and Moody both ahead against any hypothetical Democratic opponent, and both are expected to be well funded, with plenty of national GOP support.—
Zac Anderson,
USA Today,
17 May 2026
-
The catch is that those tools have to be applied to real decisions, not hypothetical ones.—
Mark Murphy,
Forbes.com,
17 May 2026
Adjective
-
Early explorations of the theme included self-portraits EXPORT made in male drag, as well as forays in poetry and theoretical feminist texts.—
News Desk,
Artforum,
15 May 2026
-
But the new one is no longer theoretical.—
Ingmar Rentzhog,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2026
Adjective
-
Projections of economic gains from major sporting events are typically optimistic, euphoric, chimerical or conjectural.—
Michael Hiltzik,
Los Angeles Times,
19 June 2025
-
That statistic is somewhat conjectural, since the vast majority of rapes in India are apparently not reported.—
Mark Jenkins,
Washington Post,
7 Nov. 2023
Cite this Entry
“Speculative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/speculative. Accessed 22 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
