THEORETICAL: Synonyms and Related Words. What is Another Word for THEORETICAL?

Need another word that means the same as “theoretical”? Find 17 synonyms and 30 related words for “theoretical” in this overview.

The synonyms of “Theoretical” are: theoretic, not practical, conceptual, abstract, pure, hypothetical, conjectural, academic, suppositional, speculative, notional, postulatory, imagined, assumed, untested, unproven, unsubstantiated

Theoretical as an Adjective

Definitions of "Theoretical" as an adjective

According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, “theoretical” as an adjective can have the following definitions:

• Concerned with or involving the theory of a subject or area of study rather than its practical application.
• Concerned with theories rather than their practical applications.
• Concerned primarily with theories or hypotheses rather than practical considerations.
• Based on or calculated through theory rather than experience or practice.

Synonyms of "Theoretical" as an adjective (17 Words)

abstract	Dealing with a subject in the abstract without practical purpose or intention. Abstract words like truth and justice.
academic	Not of practical relevance; of only theoretical interest. Students resplendent in academic dress.
assumed	Adopted as a basis of reasoning; expected. An assumed name.
conceptual	Being or characterized by concepts or their formation. The schizophrenic loses ability to abstract or do conceptual thinking.
conjectural	Based on or involving conjecture. Theories about the extinction of dinosaurs are still highly conjectural.
hypothetical	Based on or serving as a hypothesis. The hypothetical tenth planet.
imagined	(of something unreal or untrue) believed to exist or be so. They suffered from ill health real or imagined throughout their lives.
not practical	Having or put to a practical purpose or use.
notional	Denoting or relating to an approach to grammar which is dependent on the definition of terminology (e.g. ‘a verb is a doing word’) as opposed to identification of structures and processes. Notional budgets for hospital and community health services.
postulatory	Making a request or plea. The resemblance is somewhat postulatory.
pure	Of color being chromatically pure not diluted with white or grey or black. Pure oxygen.
speculative	Showing curiosity. He was involved in speculative building.
suppositional	Based primarily on surmise rather than adequate evidence.
theoretic	Concerned primarily with theories or hypotheses rather than practical considerations. Theoretical science.
unproven	(of a new method, system, or treatment) not tried and tested. The risks are unproven.
unsubstantiated	Unsupported by other evidence. Unsubstantiated claims.
untested	Not yet proved or subjected to testing. Still untested in battle.

Usage Examples of "Theoretical" as an adjective

• A theoretical physicist.
• Theoretical science.
• Theoretical physics.
• The training is practical rather than theoretical.
• The theoretical value of their work.

Associations of "Theoretical" (30 Words)

abstract	Consider a concept without thinking of a specific example consider abstractly or theoretically. A big unframed abstract.
applied	Concerned with concrete problems or data rather than with fundamental principles. Technical problems in medicine engineering economics and other applied disciplines.
confute	Prove to be false. Restorers who sought to confute this view were accused of ignorance.
conjecture	A hypothesis that has been formed by speculating or conjecturing (usually with little hard evidence. Many conjectured that the jury could not agree.
credence	A small side table, shelf, or niche in a church for holding the elements of the Eucharist before they are consecrated. Psychoanalysis finds little credence among laymen.
disprove	Prove that (something) is false. He has given the Department of Transport two months to disprove the allegation.
eclecticism	The theories or methods of the ancient Eclectic philosophers, who did not belong to or found any recognized school of thought but selected doctrines from various schools of thought. We ve demonstrated an appetite for musical eclecticism.
extrapolation	Calculation of the value of a function outside the range of known values. Sizes were estimated by extrapolation.
guess	Put forward of a guess in spite of possible refutation. I guess she is angry at me for standing her up.
guesswork	An estimate based on little or no information. Answering this question will involve you in a certain amount of guesswork.
hypothesis	A proposition made as a basis for reasoning, without any assumption of its truth. His steady state hypothesis of the origin of the universe.
hypothesize	To believe especially on uncertain or tentative grounds. To be able to hypothesize is important.
hypothetical	A hypothetical proposition or statement. Consider the following just as a hypothetical.
ideational	Relating to the formation of ideas or concepts. Policy has been shaped by both material and ideational factors.
imagine	Form a mental image or concept of. She imagined him at his desk his head in his hands.
inductive	Relating to or caused by electric or magnetic induction. Inductive reasoning.
inference	The process of inferring something. His emphasis on order and health and by inference cleanliness.
metaphysical	The metaphysical poets. The essentially metaphysical question of the nature of mind.
neurobiologist	A specialist in neurobiology.
putative	Purported; commonly put forth or accepted as true on inconclusive grounds. The foundling s putative father.
reasoning	Endowed with the capacity to reason. He explained the reasoning behind his decision at a media conference.
rumour	Gossip (usually a mixture of truth and untruth) passed around by word of mouth. She is rumoured to have gone into hiding.
speculate	Reflect deeply on a subject. He didn t look as though he had the money to speculate in shares.
speculation	Investment in stocks, property, etc. in the hope of gain but with the risk of loss. The company s move into property speculation.
speculative	Not based on fact or investigation. He gave her a speculative glance.
suppose	Expect believe or suppose. The theory supposes a predisposition to interpret utterances.
supposed	Doubtful or suspect. He was supposed to go to the store.
supposition	A belief held without proof or certain knowledge; an assumption or hypothesis. Their outrage was based on supposition and hearsay.
theorize	Create a theoretical premise or framework for. Galileo theorized the motion of the stars.
theory	A supposition or a system of ideas intended to explain something, especially one based on general principles independent of the thing to be explained. He proposed a fresh theory of alkalis that later was accepted in chemical practices.