guestimates
Ballpark numerical predictions
Guestimates are estimates based more on guesswork than on solid data—rough calculations where precision isn't possible or necessary: These are just guestimates until we get the actual figures.
The blend of guess and estimate captures the inherent uncertainty.
The singular guesstimate appears both as noun and verb: I'd guesstimate about three hundred people showed up.
Intuitive suspicions
- gut feelingsIntuitive sense without reasoning
- instinctsInnate behavioral tendencies
- impressionsEffects on the mind
- inklingsVague preliminary suspicions
suspicions · premonitions · sixth sense · vibes · feelings · senses · notions · inkling
Guess from limited facts
- surmiseGuess from incomplete information
- suppositionBelief without proof
- hypothesisTestable proposed explanation
- theoryExplanatory set of principles
assumption · presumption · inference · deduction · extrapolation · postulation · guesswork · theorizing
Sports venue or estimate
- roughUneven in surface
- back-of-the-envelopeRoughly calculated, informal
- eyeballingEstimating by sight alone
- roundingAdjusting to simpler values
swags · rule-of-thumb · projections · forecasts · calculations · assessments · valuations · quotations
Lack of exactness
- vaguenessAbsence of precision
- approximatenessLack of precision
- inexactnessLack of precision
- roughnessUneven surface quality
fuzziness · ambiguity · indeterminacy · variability · margins of error · confidence intervals · error bars · tolerances
hunches
Intuitive suspicions
- gut feelingsIntuitive sense without reasoning
- instinctsInnate behavioral tendencies
- impressionsEffects on the mind
inklings · suspicions · premonitions · sixth sense · vibes · feelings · senses · notions · inkling · perception
conjecture
Guess from limited facts
- surmiseGuess from incomplete information
- suppositionBelief without proof
- hypothesisTestable proposed explanation
theory · assumption · presumption · inference · deduction · extrapolation · postulation · guesswork · theorizing · supposing
ballpark
Sports venue or estimate
- roughUneven in surface
- back-of-the-envelopeRoughly calculated, informal
- eyeballingEstimating by sight alone
rounding · swags · rule-of-thumb · projections · forecasts · calculations · assessments · valuations · quotations · ranges
imprecision
Lack of exactness
- vaguenessAbsence of precision
- approximatenessLack of precision
- inexactnessLack of precision
roughness · fuzziness · ambiguity · indeterminacy · variability · margins of error · confidence intervals · error bars · tolerances · wiggle room