variants
also theoretic
1
as in hypothetical
existing only as an assumption or speculation
the merits of the new testing procedures are purely theoretical, since no one has ever used them before
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in metaphysical
dealing with or expressing a quality or idea
the theoretical musings in his new book are less engaging than the anecdote-driven arguments of his previous works
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of theoretical
For decades, this calculation was theoretical, given the difficulties of studying photosynthesis under low light.
—
Asher Elbein, WIRED, 2 Mar. 2025
With Google's assistance, the chipmaker has committed to providing extended vendor support to any OEM building on its most powerful chips, pushing the theoretical lifespan of Android devices to eight years.
—Ryan Whitwam, Ars Technica, 25 Feb. 2025
The company says this is one of it's longest-running research projects, and it's been 17 years in the making – with an even longer history of theoretical physics that's now been realized.
—New Atlas, 20 Feb. 2025
This transition from theoretical to practical confrontation is all but debilitating, as the grieving father reaches the limits of his empathy.
—Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 24 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for theoretical
Asher Elbein, WIRED, 2 Mar. 2025
With Google's assistance, the chipmaker has committed to providing extended vendor support to any OEM building on its most powerful chips, pushing the theoretical lifespan of Android devices to eight years.
—Ryan Whitwam, Ars Technica, 25 Feb. 2025
The company says this is one of it's longest-running research projects, and it's been 17 years in the making – with an even longer history of theoretical physics that's now been realized.
—New Atlas, 20 Feb. 2025
This transition from theoretical to practical confrontation is all but debilitating, as the grieving father reaches the limits of his empathy.
—Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 24 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for theoretical
Recent Examples of Synonyms for theoretical
Adjective
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Proponents of the move say the reserve would act as a hedge against financial instability in a hypothetical future in which cryptocurrencies replace regular money issued by central banks.—
Allison Morrow,
CNN,
8 Mar. 2025
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Proponents argued that an investment in Bitcoin would help the government chip away at the $36 trillion national debt, and ensure that the United States remained dominant in a hypothetical future where the global economy runs on cryptocurrencies.—
David Yaffe-Bellany,
New York Times,
7 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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But the sequences are also meant to be dream visions, metaphysical and cinematic escapes into an alternate dimension full of exquisite grandiosity and grace.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
27 Jan. 2025
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The movie is a metaphysical mystery, a sort of American gothic in which a warm and inviting old suburban house becomes the shivery site of a haunting, a confinement, and a menace.—
Richard Brody,
The New Yorker,
17 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Proxima Kosmos launched Saturday featuring a sweeping interactive digital platform, films and a limited-run zine that expands the speculative universe through essays, art and storytelling.—
Leslie Katz,
Forbes,
6 Mar. 2025
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Eswar Prasad, a professor of trade policy at Cornell University who wrote the book The Future of Money about digital currencies, said the U.S. has a precedent for holding a stockpile of a speculative asset: gold.—
Juliana Kim,
NPR,
4 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Buyers are still looking for the most commercial pieces, without taking the whole range or more conceptual looks.—
Rhonda Richford,
WWD,
7 Mar. 2025
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Their dexterity in formal skills is matched by their conceptual prowess.—
Shantay Robinson,
ARTnews.com,
28 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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But the possible consequences of an Iranian nuclear capability are largely conjectural (save for one: nobody would think of invading Iran anymore).—
Barry R. Posen,
Foreign Affairs,
7 Sep. 2010
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That statistic is somewhat conjectural, since the vast majority of rapes in India are apparently not reported.—
Mark Jenkins,
Washington Post,
7 Nov. 2023
Adjective
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Each shot looks like a page out of a cursed tome of twisted, postmodern fairy tales, the images forbidding and slightly abstract.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
6 Mar. 2025
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The pair tested their approach on the Abstraction and Reasoning Corpus (ARC-AGI), an unbeaten visual benchmark created in 2019 by machine learning researcher François Chollet to test AI systems' abstract reasoning skills.—
Ars Technica,
Ars Technica,
6 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Theoretical.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/theoretical. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.
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