conjecture
Informed but unproven
Conjecture is a conclusion reached without firm evidence—an educated guess or tentative theory.
Scientists form conjectures before gathering data to test them.
In mathematics, a conjecture is an unproven proposition believed to be true: Goldbach's conjecture remains unproven after nearly three centuries.
The verb means to guess or speculate: We can only conjecture about their motives.
Guess based on incomplete evidence
- surmiseGuess from incomplete information
- guessEstimate without certainty
- theorizeForm explanatory suppositions
- museThink deeply about
wonder · imagine · suppose · presuppose · hazard a guess · postulate · posit · propound
Guess from incomplete information
- supposeAccept as true tentatively
- presumeAccept without verification
- assumeAccept as true
- estimateInformed guess at quantity
reckon · hunch · intuition · gut feeling · guesstimate · divine · suspicion · inkling
Assumed starting point
- premiseFoundation for logical argument
- propositionStatement expressing a judgment
- thesisAcademic argument requiring defense
- suppositionBelief without proof
assumption · theory · inference · working hypothesis · hypothetical
Theory of knowledge
- skepticismDisposition toward doubt
- rationalismReason as knowledge source
- empiricismKnowledge through observation
- dialecticLogical argument through opposition
logic · inference · syllogism · validity · justification · belief · knowledge · reason
Derive by reasoning
- deduceReach by reasoning
- extrapolateExtend known data outward
- generalizeMake broadly applicable
- concludeEnd or infer
reason · derive · abstract · theorize · piece together · work out · figure · induce
Lack of firm belief
- questionableOf uncertain validity
- tentativeUncertain and provisional
- unverifiedNot yet proven true
- unprovenNot yet established
unconfirmed · uncertain · inconclusive · debatable · disputable · contestable · open question · undetermined
speculate
Guess based on incomplete evidence
- surmiseGuess from incomplete information
- guessEstimate without certainty
- theorizeForm explanatory suppositions
muse · wonder · imagine · suppose · presuppose · hazard a guess · postulate · posit · propound · float
surmise
Guess from incomplete information
estimate · reckon · hunch · intuition · gut feeling · guesstimate · divine · suspicion · inkling · notion
postulate
Assumed starting point
- premiseFoundation for logical argument
- propositionStatement expressing a judgment
- thesisAcademic argument requiring defense
supposition · assumption · theory · inference · working hypothesis · hypothetical
epistemology
Theory of knowledge
- skepticismDisposition toward doubt
- rationalismReason as knowledge source
- empiricismKnowledge through observation
dialectic · logic · inference · syllogism · validity · justification · belief · knowledge · reason · argumentation
infer
Derive by reasoning
- deduceReach by reasoning
- extrapolateExtend known data outward
- generalizeMake broadly applicable
conclude · reason · derive · abstract · theorize · piece together · work out · figure · induce · rationalize
doubt
Lack of firm belief
- questionableOf uncertain validity
- tentativeUncertain and provisional
- unverifiedNot yet proven true
unproven · unconfirmed · uncertain · inconclusive · debatable · disputable · contestable · open question · undetermined · unsettled
- mathaddition, subtraction, multiplication, division, algebra
- cognitionthinking, reasoning, thought, cognition, remembering
- math conceptsangle, numbers, algebra, circle, equations
- guessesguess, supposition, speculation, surmise, guesswork
- guessingguess, prediction, hypothesis, speculation, hunch
- Predictionprediction, forecasting, forecast model, estimation, extrapolation
conjectureproof
Demonstration of truth
evidence · demonstration · verification · substantiation · documentation
conjecturecalculation
Mathematical problem-solving process
measurement · computation · determination · measure · compute