speculate
/ˈspek.jʊ.leɪt/ IELTSAcademic
verb
To form possible explanations without certain proof; to guess based on limited information.
- They speculated on the cause of the delay.
- I like to speculate about possible outcomes.
Adinary Nuance
Near-neighbors: compare with guess, assume, infer, and predict. Guess is informal and casual; assume often implies taking something for granted without evidence; infer is about drawing conclusions from facts; predict claims more confidence. Choose speculate when you want a neutral term for forming possible explanations in discussions or academic writing.
In other languages
- Spanish
- especular
- Japanese
- 推測する
- Korean
- 추측하다
- Vietnamese
- đoán đoán
- Chinese
- 推测
Common phrases
speculate onspeculate aboutspeculate thatspeculate on the future
Synonyms
Related words
Frequently asked questions
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