Meaning & use
hypothesis
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Meanings
nouncountabletechnical
An idea put forward as a possible explanation for something, which is then checked through experiments or observation.
Grammar: The plural is hypotheses, pronounced with a final long ee sound.
Patterns
- a hypothesis about something
- test a hypothesis
- a hypothesis that something is true
The students' hypothesis was that plants grow faster under blue light.
Her hypothesis about the missing funds turned out to be wrong.
Scientists must design an experiment that could disprove their hypothesis.
nouncountable
A guess or assumption used as the starting point of an argument, without being proven.
Grammar: Used more loosely in everyday and legal talk, often with an adjective such as working or plausible.
Patterns
- on the hypothesis that something
The detective worked on the hypothesis that the thief knew the family.
Let's accept this hypothesis for now and see where it leads.
The report rests on the hypothesis that prices will keep rising.
Word forms
| plural | hypotheses |
|---|
Common combinations
- test a hypothesis
- The team ran three trials to test the hypothesis.
- form a hypothesis
- Researchers formed a hypothesis after noticing an odd pattern.
- support a hypothesis
- The new data support the hypothesis that sleep aids memory.
- reject a hypothesis
- They had to reject the hypothesis once the results came in.
- null hypothesis
- The null hypothesis states that there is no difference between the groups.
- working hypothesis
- We'll use this as a working hypothesis until we learn more.
Synonyms and how they differ
- theory
- A theory is usually a well-supported explanation, while a hypothesis is a proposal that still has to be tested.
- assumption
- An assumption is simply taken for granted, but a hypothesis is meant to be examined and possibly rejected.
- conjecture
- A conjecture rests on incomplete evidence and is often a guess, whereas a hypothesis is stated so that it can be tested.
Opposites
Word family
- hypothesize verb
- to suggest something as a hypothesis
- hypothetical adjective
- based on a possible situation rather than a real one
- hypothetically adverb
- in an imagined or supposed case
- hypotheses noun
- the plural form
Commonly confused: hypothesis or theory?
hypothesis vs theory
People often say 'just a theory' when they mean a hypothesis; in science a theory has already survived much testing.
Practice
Before running the experiment, the biologist wrote down her ___ that the seeds would sprout faster in warm soil.
Choose one answer.
A hypothesis is a testable idea stated before the experiment. A conclusion, evidence or result can only exist after the testing.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “hypothesis”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.