speculative

spec·u·la·tive

adj \ˈspe-kyə-lə-tiv, -ˌlā-\

Definition of SPECULATIVE

1

: involving, based on, or constituting intellectual speculation; also : theoretical rather than demonstrable <speculative knowledge>

2

: marked by questioning curiosity <gave him a speculative glance>

3

: of, relating to, or being a financial speculation <speculative stocks> <speculative venture>

— spec·u·la·tive·ly adverb

Examples of SPECULATIVE

1. His conclusions are highly speculative.
2. a writer with a speculative mind
3. a speculative boom in housing construction

First Known Use of SPECULATIVE

14th century

Related to SPECULATIVE

Synonyms: academic (also academical), conjectural, hypothetical, theoretical, suppositional

Antonyms: actual, factual, real

Related Words: alleged, assumed, presumed, presupposed, proposed, supposed, unproved, unproven, untested; debatable, moot; abstract, conceptual, intellectual, metaphysical; nonclinical, nonpractical; nonempirical

Near Antonyms: clinical, practical; concrete, defined, definite, distinct; attested, authenticated, confirmed, demonstrated, established, proven, substantiated, tested, time-tested, validated, verified; empirical (also empiric), nonspeculative, nontheoretical, observational

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Other Business Terms

amortize, caveat emptor, clearinghouse, divest, due diligence, emolument, green-collar, marque, overhead, perquisite

Rhymes with SPECULATIVE

aggregative, agitative, applicative, carminative, circulative, cogitative, combinative, commutative, connotative, consecrative, consultative, contemplative, copulative, corporative, denotative, dissipative, duplicative, educative, facultative, federative, generative, germinative, gravitative, imitative, implicative, innovative, instigative, integrative, irritative, iterative, legislative, limitative, meditative, meliorative, motivative, nominative, nuncupative, operative, palliative, penetrative, procreative, propagative, qualitative, quantitative, recreative, regulative, replicative, separative, terminative, vegetative