Conjecture

Pronunciation

• UK IPA: /kÉ™nˈdÍ¡Ê’É›k.t͡ʃə(ɹ)/
• US IPA: /kÉ™nˈdÍ¡Ê’É›k.t͡ʃɚ/

Origin

From Old French, from Latin coniectūra ("a guess"), from coniectus, perfect passive participle of cōniciō ("throw or cast together; guess"), from con- ("together") + iaciō ("throw, hurl"); see jet. Compare adjective, eject, inject, project, reject, subject, object, trajectory.

Full definition of conjecture

Noun

1. (formal) A statement or an idea which is unproven, but is thought to be true; a guess.I explained it, but it is pure conjecture whether he understood, or not.
2. (formal) A supposition based upon incomplete evidence; a hypothesis.The physicist used his conjecture about subatomic particles to design an experiment.
3. (mathematics, philology) A statement likely to be true based on available evidence, but which has not been formally proven.
4. (obsolete) Interpretation of signs and omens.

Synonyms

Related terms

• conject
• conjectural

Verb

1. (formal, intransitive) To guess; to venture an unproven idea.I do not know if it is true; I am simply conjecturing here.
• SouthHuman reason can then, at the best, but conjecture what will be.