hypothetical

CEFRC1

/ˌhaɪpəˈθɛtɪkəl/

adjective

Türkçe translations

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In plain English

Examples

At a glance

Sits at C1 on the CEFR scale

Also pronounced

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Extra meanings

In context

These hypotheticals serve no purpose until we have more information.
This is all hypothetical.
Philosophers of doom tend to get hung up on elaborate sci-fi-inflected hypotheticals.

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Such a subjunctive as appears in the principal clause (i.e. the apodosis) of a conditional sentence may be called a hypothetical subjunctive. An hypothetical subjunctive expresses an action¹ which, while its non-occurrence is implied, is yet supposed to occur, if some other action occur.
1882, Henry John Roby, chapter XVIII, in A Latin grammar for schools, London: MacMillan and Co., Book IV : Syntax or use of Inflexional Forms, page 258
He told ABC News: “Just to give you a hypothetical, we would respond by leading a Nato – a collective – effort that would take out every Russian conventional force that we can see and identify on the battlefield in Ukraine and also in Crimea and every ship in the Black sea.”
2022 October 2, Edward Helmore, quoting David Petraeus, “Petraeus: US would destroy Russia’s troops if Putin uses nuclear weapons in Ukraine”, in The Guardian
Philosophers of doom tend to get hung up on elaborate sci-fi-inflected hypotheticals.
2024 March 18, Andrew Marantz, “О.К., Doomer”, in The New Yorker, page 45

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From Ancient Greek ὑποθετικός (hupothetikós).