conjecture

conjecture
    n 1: a hypothesis that has been formed by speculating or
         conjecturing (usually with little hard evidence);
         "speculations about the outcome of the election"; "he
         dismissed it as mere conjecture" [syn: {speculation},
         {conjecture}]
    2: a message expressing an opinion based on incomplete evidence
       [syn: {guess}, {conjecture}, {supposition}, {surmise},
       {surmisal}, {speculation}, {hypothesis}]
    3: reasoning that involves the formation of conclusions from
       incomplete evidence
    v 1: to believe especially on uncertain or tentative grounds;
         "Scientists supposed that large dinosaurs lived in swamps"
         [syn: {speculate}, {theorize}, {theorise}, {conjecture},
         {hypothesize}, {hypothesise}, {hypothecate}, {suppose}]
    

Conjecture \Con*jec"ture\, v. i.
   To make conjectures; to surmise; to guess; to infer; to form
   an opinion; to imagine.
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Conjecture \Con*jec"ture\ (; 135?), n. [L. conjectura, fr.
   conjicere, conjectum, to throw together, infer, conjecture;
   con- + jacere to throw: cf. F. conjecturer. See {Jet} a
   shooting forth.]
   An opinion, or judgment, formed on defective or presumptive
   evidence; probable inference; surmise; guess; suspicion.
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         He [Herodotus] would thus have corrected his first
         loose conjecture by a real study of nature. --Whewell.
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         Conjectures, fancies, built on nothing firm. --Milton.
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Conjecture \Con*jec"ture\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Conjectured}; p.
   pr. & vb. n. {Conjecturing}.] [Cf. F. conjecturer. Cf.
   {Conject}.]
   To arrive at by conjecture; to infer on slight evidence; to
   surmise; to guess; to form, at random, opinions concerning.
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         Human reason can then, at the best, but conjecture what
         will be.                                 --South.
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56 Moby Thesaurus words for "conjecture":
      assume, assumption, axiom, believe, blind guess, bold conjecture,
      conceive, conclude, deem, estimate, expect, fancy, feel, gather,
      give a guess, glean, guess, guesswork, hazard a conjecture, hunch,
      hypothesis, imagine, infer, inference, judge, perhaps, postulate,
      postulation, postulatum, premise, presume, presumption,
      presupposal, presupposition, pretend, proposition, risk assuming,
      rough guess, set of postulates, shot, speculation, stab, supposal,
      suppose, supposing, supposition, surmise, suspect,
      take for granted, tentatively suggest, thesis, think,
      unverified supposition, venture a guess, wild guess,
      working hypothesis