working theory
Provisional explanatory framework
A working theory is a preliminary explanation adopted for practical purposes while investigation continues.
Unlike a settled conclusion, it remains open to revision as new evidence emerges: Our working theory is that the fire started in the kitchen, but we're still examining the scene.
The phrase emphasizes that the theory guides current thinking without claiming certainty.
- hypothesisTestable proposed explanation
- conjectureGuess from limited facts
- speculationUnproven theorizing or risky investment
- best guessLikeliest prediction attempted
- hunchUnproven inner sense
gut feeling · assumption · premise · framework · tentative · educated guess · starting point · model · explanation · preliminary · rough draft · untested · plausible · draft · proposition · reasoning · process of elimination · evidence
- estimatesestimate, estimation, ballpark, ballpark estimate, rough estimate
- guessesguess, conjecture, supposition, speculation, surmise
- thoughtsthought, idea, thoughts, ideas, thinking
- hypotheseshypothesis, conjecture, supposition, postulate, assumption
- heuristicsrule of thumb, heuristic, guideline, mental shortcut, educated guess
- hypotheticalshypothesis, hypothetical, what-if, what if, conjecture
working theoryaxiom
Self-evident starting principle
dogma · accepted truth · certainty · scientific consensus · known quantity
work, works, worked, worker, workers, workable, working, workings, rework