hypothesis

CEFRB2

/haɪˈpɒθɪsɪs/

noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    An idea offered as an explanation that can be tested.

  2. 02

    noun

    Extra detail

    An assumption taken to be true for the purpose of argument or investigation.

Examples

  • Our experiment proved that the initial hypothesis was correct.

  • We cannot conceive science without a hypothesis.

At a glance

Sits at B2 on the CEFR scale

Senses
4
Parts of speech
1
Citations
1
Synonyms
5

Also pronounced

  • /-əsəs/
  • /hɪˈpɒθɪsɪs/

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meanings

  1. The antecedent of a conditional statement.

  2. A tentative conjecture explaining an observation, phenomenon or scientific problem and that can be tested by further observation, investigation, or experimentation.

More examples

In context

  • The result confirmed my hypothesis.

  • Far too many of us have been taught in school that a scientist, in the course of trying to figure something out, will first come up with a "hypothesis" (a guess or surmise—not necessarily even an "educated" guess). ... [But t]he word "hypothesis" should be us...

Synonyms

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The researcher proposed a new blank to account for the strange data.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

noun

Recorded since 1596, from Middle French hypothese, from Late Latin hypothesis, from Ancient Greek ὑπόθεσις (hupóthesis, “base, basis of an argument, supposition”, literally “a placing under”), itself from ὑποτίθημι (hupotíthēmi, “to set before, suggest”), from ὑπό (hupó, “below”) + τίθημι (títhēmi, “to put, place”). Compare hypothec.