| / English Dictionary |
HYPOTHESIS
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
Irregular inflected form: hypotheses
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
A tentative insight into the natural world; a concept that is not yet verified but that if true would explain certain facts or phenomena
Example:
he proposed a fresh theory of alkalis that later was accepted in chemical practices
Synonyms:
hypothesis; possibility; theory
Classified under:
Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents
Hypernyms ("hypothesis" is a kind of...):
concept; conception; construct (an abstract or general idea inferred or derived from specific instances)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "hypothesis"):
hypothetical (a hypothetical possibility, circumstance, statement, proposal, situation, etc.)
gemmule (the physically discrete element that Darwin proposed as responsible for heredity)
framework; model; theoretical account (a hypothetical description of a complex entity or process)
conjecture; speculation (a hypothesis that has been formed by speculating or conjecturing (usually with little hard evidence))
assumption; supposal; supposition (a hypothesis that is taken for granted)
historicism (a theory that social and cultural events are determined by history)
Holonyms ("hypothesis" is a part of...):
theory (a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world; an organized system of accepted knowledge that applies in a variety of circumstances to explain a specific set of phenomena)
Derivation:
hypothecate; hypothesize (to believe especially on uncertain or tentative grounds)
Sense 2
Meaning:
A message expressing an opinion based on incomplete evidence
Synonyms:
conjecture; guess; hypothesis; speculation; supposition; surmisal; surmise
Classified under:
Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents
Hypernyms ("hypothesis" is a kind of...):
opinion; view (a message expressing a belief about something; the expression of a belief that is held with confidence but not substantiated by positive knowledge or proof)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "hypothesis"):
divination (successful conjecture by unusual insight or good luck)
Derivation:
hypothecate; hypothesize (to believe especially on uncertain or tentative grounds)
hypothetical (based primarily on surmise rather than adequate evidence)
Sense 3
Meaning:
A proposal intended to explain certain facts or observations
Classified under:
Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents
Hypernyms ("hypothesis" is a kind of...):
proposal (something proposed (such as a plan or assumption))
Derivation:
hypothesize (to believe especially on uncertain or tentative grounds)
Context examples:
The use of controlled observations and measurements to test hypotheses.
(Experimental Method, NCI Thesaurus)
The association of GABARAP with NSF (N-ethyl maleimide sensitive factor), a protein involved in intracellular vesicle transport, supports this hypothesis.
(GABA Receptor Life Cycle Pathway, NCI Thesaurus/BIOCARTA)
The law is also slightly modified when the model incorporates Maeder's new hypothesis.
(There May Be No Dark Matter, Dark Energy in Universe, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)
Researchers caution that the moon hypothesis is tentative and must be confirmed by follow-up Hubble observations.
(Astronomers Find First Evidence of Possible Moon Outside Our Solar System, NASA)
The working hypothesis of the researchers was based on recent studies in yeasts and cell cultures generated by some international groups.
(A new pharmacological therapy against a severe kind of deficiency in Coenzyme Q10, University of Granada)
Well, I tried one or two leads, but could get at nothing which would help our hypothesis, and several points which would make against it.
(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
Let us take that as a working hypothesis and see what it leads us to.
(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
“Well, certainly that is also a conceivable hypothesis,” said Holmes, smiling.
(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
At least we may accept it as a working hypothesis.
(His Last Bow, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
If the same source were to light up again, it might support this hypothesis.
(NASA Satellite Spots a Mystery That's Gone in a Flash, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)
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