synonym hypothesis

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Synonyms for hypothesis

• proposition
• supposition

a belief used as the basis for action

A proposal intended to explain certain facts or observations, related words, a tentative insight into the natural world.

• possibility
• hypothetical
• theoretical account
• speculation
• historicism

a message expressing an opinion based on incomplete evidence

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  Vocabulary      

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

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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.

Mike Gallagher :

Now we know certain facts too that stack up in favor of the lab leak hypothesis.

Scott Roberts :

There’s one hypothesis from a prominent mycologist who suggests that the reason the body’s temperature is 98.6 is because that is the temperature where fungi can’t grow that well. And so, now we’re seeing Candida auris and some of the other new microbes that have come up that really grow quite well – even at temperatures of 98.6 in the human body. And so I think climate change, really selecting for these organisms to adapt to a warmer climate, is going to increase the odds that there’s infection in humans.

Ming Ding :

The lower risk of mortality is consistent with our hypothesis that coffee consumption could be good for you (because) we have published papers showing that coffee consumption is associated with lower risk of type 2 diabetes and (heart) disease.

Larry Diamond :

We had a hypothesis that the American people are not as polarized as the American political class, not as polarized as our elected representatives and politicians.

Simon Cauchemez :

Our analysis strongly supports the hypothesis that Zika virus infection during the first trimester of pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of microcephaly.

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• hypothermia noun
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• hypothesize verb
• hypothesized
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[ hahy- poth - uh -sis , hi- ]

• a proposition, or set of propositions, set forth as an explanation for the occurrence of some specified group of phenomena, either asserted merely as a provisional conjecture to guide investigation working hypothesis or accepted as highly probable in the light of established facts.
• a proposition assumed as a premise in an argument.
• the antecedent of a conditional proposition.
• a mere assumption or guess.

/ haɪˈpɒθɪsɪs /

• a suggested explanation for a group of facts or phenomena, either accepted as a basis for further verification ( working hypothesis ) or accepted as likely to be true Compare theory
• an assumption used in an argument without its being endorsed; a supposition
• an unproved theory; a conjecture

/ hī-pŏth ′ ĭ-sĭs /

, Plural hypotheses hī-pŏth ′ ĭ-sēz′

• A statement that explains or makes generalizations about a set of facts or principles, usually forming a basis for possible experiments to confirm its viability.
• plur. hypotheses (heye- poth -uh-seez) In science, a statement of a possible explanation for some natural phenomenon. A hypothesis is tested by drawing conclusions from it; if observation and experimentation show a conclusion to be false, the hypothesis must be false. ( See scientific method and theory .)

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Derived forms.

• hyˈpothesist , noun

Other Words From

• hy·pothe·sist noun
• counter·hy·pothe·sis noun plural counterhypotheses
• subhy·pothe·sis noun plural subhypotheses

Word History and Origins

Origin of hypothesis 1

Synonym Study

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.

Related Words

• explanation
• interpretation
• proposition
• supposition

More About Hypothesis

What is a hypothesis .

In science, a hypothesis is a statement or proposition that attempts to explain phenomena or facts. Hypotheses are often tested to see if they are accurate.

Crafting a useful hypothesis is one of the early steps in the scientific method , which is central to every field of scientific experimentation. A useful scientific hypothesis is based on current, accepted scientific knowledge and is testable.

Outside of science, the word hypothesis is often used more loosely to mean a guess or prediction.

Why is hypothesis important?

The first records of the term hypothesis come from around 1590. It comes from the Greek term hypóthesis , meaning “basis, supposition.”

Trustworthy science involves experiments and tests. In order to have an experiment, you need to test something. In science, that something is called a hypothesis . It is important to remember that, in science, a verified hypothesis is not actually confirmed to be an absolute truth. Instead, it is accepted to be accurate according to modern knowledge. Science always allows for the possibility that new information could disprove a widely accepted hypothesis .

Related to this, scientists will usually only propose a new hypothesis when new information is discovered because there is no reason to test something that is already accepted as scientifically accurate.

Did you know … ?

It can take a long time and even the discovery of new technology to confirm that a hypothesis is accurate. Physicist Albert Einstein ’s 1916 theory of relativity contained hypotheses about space and time that have only been confirmed recently, thanks to modern technology!

What are real-life examples of hypothesis ?

While in science, hypothesis has a narrow meaning, in general use its meaning is broader.

"This study confirms the hypothesis that individuals who have been infected with COVID-19 have persistent objectively measurable cognitive deficits." (N=81,337) Ventilation subgroup show 7-point reduction in IQ https://t.co/50xrNNHC5E — Claire Lehmann (@clairlemon) July 23, 2021

Not everyone drives. They can walk, cycle, catch a train, tram etc. That’s alternatives. What’s your alternative in your hypothesis? — Barry (@Bazzaboy1982) July 27, 2021

What other words are related to hypothesis ?

• scientific method
• scientific theory

Quiz yourself!

True or False?

In science, a hypothesis must be based on current scientific information and be testable.

Synonyms of 'hypothesis' in American English

Synonyms of 'hypothesis' in british english, additional synonyms.

Browse alphabetically hypothesis

• hypocritical
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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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Synonyms and antonyms of hypothesize in English

Hypothesize.

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Synonyms of hypothesize

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Thesaurus Definition of hypothesize

Synonyms & Similar Words

• take for granted
• hypothecate
• preconceive

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• wonder (about)
• disagree (with)

Thesaurus Entries Near hypothesize

hypothesize

hypothesized

Cite this Entry

“Hypothesize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus , Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hypothesize. Accessed 23 May. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on hypothesize

Britannica English: Translation of hypothesize for Arabic Speakers

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Gene Meyer found guilty of sexually assaulting, murdering Betty Rolf in 1988

A 12-person jury reached the guilty verdict in about three hours, after a week-long trial in outagamie county court..

APPLETON – A Fox Valley murder that has remained unsolved for over three decades has finally ended in a conviction.

A jury found Gene Meyer, 68, guilty of the 1988 sexual assault and murder of Betty Rolf after a one-week trial . The 12-person jury deliberated for about three hours, coming to a decision just before 1:50 p.m. Tuesday.

Members of Rolf's family were emotional after the verdict, and some gave hugs to the prosecutors.

Meyer showed no visible emotion to the jury's verdict, and rarely moved his gaze from the judge's bench.

On Nov. 6, 1988, Rolf left for work early in the morning, walking from her home in the 1300 block of West Spencer Street to Country Aire Banquet Room, 2311 W. Spencer St., in the town of Grand Chute. Rolf did laundry at the banquet hall.

Rolf never showed up for work that day. Her family called police the next morning, and soon after police found her body under the Spencer Street bridge, behind a concrete abutment by the railroad tracks.

Rolf was partially clothed, and had been beaten and strangled with the strap of her purse.

The investigation lasted for decades, and was periodically revisited as DNA technology advanced over the years. Then, in 2019, investigators began conducting a familial DNA search, which ultimately identified Meyer as the primary suspect. He was arrested in Washington in 2022, where he had been living since after the homicide, and extradited to Wisconsin.

During the trial, prosecutors argued that Meyer attacked Rolf as she walked over the Spencer Street bridge that day, sexually assaulting and then killing her. They said Meyer then fled Wisconsin, and never voluntarily returned to the state again.

Meyer's attorneys argue the DNA evidence only shows Rolf and Meyer had sexual contact at some point in the days before her death, not that it was a sexual assault. They say Rolf was actually killed by her husband, who was physically and emotionally abusive, according to testimony from numerous witnesses.

Attorneys recap trial evidence in closing arguments

Tuesday morning began with jury instructions and closing arguments.

Outagamie County Deputy District Attorney Nicholas Grode gave the prosecution's closing argument. He presented a Powerpoint that went through each of the elements of the two crimes — first-degree murder and first-degree sexual assault with use of a dangerous weapon — and reviewed testimony and evidence from the trial pointing to Meyer's guilt.

Grode recapped evidence an expert testified about earlier in the trial — that the odds are "25 octillion to one" that Meyer's DNA was found on a swab from Rolf's body and on the gloves she wore when her body was found.

Despite the defense's argument that there's no evidence Rolf was raped, Grode argued the injuries on Rolf's body and evidence at the scene is consistent with being sexually assaulted, beaten and strangled.

Grode also said there is no evidence Rolf was ever unfaithful to her husband, but if she were to have had consensual sex with someone, it would be extremely unlikely Rolf would have chosen Meyer, who was 30 years her junior and the same age as her oldest son, and homeless at that time.

"When you go back in the jury room, don't check your common sense at the door," Grode told the jury.

For the defense's closing arguments, defense attorney Jennifer Kelley claimed the prosecution was trying to play on fears by discussing Meyer's period of time living unhoused and in poverty.

"They're trying to play on your stereotype of homeless people," Kelley said.

If the prosecution's portrait of Meyer was accurate, Kelley said, it does not make sense that Meyer would have attacked Rolf without taking the contents of her purse — which included $30 in cash.

One of Rolf's friends testified that Rolf was planning to leave her abusive husband, Kelley reminded the jury. Kelley also noted that Rolf's son questioned if his father was responsible for his mother's death as recently as 2005, and Rolf's daughter at one time called her father evil.

Kelley implored the jury to reach a not guilty verdict if they have any reasonable doubt or "competing hypothesis" about Rolf's murder.

"Even if you find it's likely that Gene did it — that's still a not guilty verdict," Kelley said.

Because the prosecution has the burden to prove Meyer's guilt, prosecutors get the final word to the jury with a rebuttal argument. District Attorney Melinda Tempelis addressed the jury to dispute some of the things Kelley said in the defense's closing argument.

Tempelis clarified that she does not want the jury to reach a verdict that is influenced at all by prejudice, but that the prosecution presented evidence about Meyer's transient living situation to show what parts of the Fox Valley area he was familiar with.

She also said Rolf's husband's DNA was not found on Rolf's body and law enforcement ruled him out as a suspect.

"(Rolf's husband) was not a good man, there's no doubt about it. I'm not here to say that he was a good husband or a good father," Tempelis said.

However, she continued, there is not evidence that Rolf's husband killed her. There was, however, plenty of DNA evidence of Meyer's involvement in Rolf's brutal assault.

"He says he did not know Betty ... and yet it is his DNA that are in her. It is his DNA that are on those gloves," Tempelis said.

Outagamie County Circuit Court Judge Mark Schroeder ordered a pre-sentence investigation. Meyer's sentencing hearing is scheduled for 1 p.m. July 11.

RELATED: Trial begins Monday for man accused in cold case sexual assault and murder of Betty Rolf

RELATED: 'Who would do something like this?' 1988 murder of Betty Rolf, 60, under review by Outagamie County Sheriff's Department

Contact Kelli Arseneau at 920-213-3721 or  [email protected] . Follow her on X, formerly Twitter, at  @ArseneauKelli .