SYNONYMS AND RELATED EXPRESSIONS
conjecture
noun
A conclusion based on incomplete evidence.
Local English device voice, when available. This is not a recorded dictionary pronunciation.
Unproved inference
Closest synonyms
Related words and expressions
These extend or explain the idea and may require a different sentence structure.
Usage distinction
Return to topAn estimate may rest on substantial data; conjecture highlights the incomplete basis for a conclusion.
CHECK THE MEANING IN CONTEXT
See conjecture in use
Without the missing ledger, the explanation remained conjecture.
Students also supplied anecdotal accounts of inconvenient journeys. Those individual stories raised useful questions, but a claim that nearly everyone preferred the proposed route remained conjecture until the group gathered broader feedback.
Compare an alternative with the original word in each passage. Shared meanings do not make every pair interchangeable.
Synonym reference scope and sources
The groups distinguish the senses selected for this study entry. Closest synonyms and broader related expressions have separate labels. The listed sources support lexical selection; not every phrase is a direct quotation from a source.
How the synonym reference was prepared / WordNet 3.0 license