speculative
adjective
spec·u·la·tive
ˈspe-kyə-lə-tiv 
-ˌlā-
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
speculatively
adverb
Examples of speculative in a Sentence
His conclusions are highly speculative.
a writer with a speculative mind
a speculative boom in housing construction
Recent Examples on the Web
While estimates for the amount of guidance in existence or birthed yearly may not be as speculative as extrasolar planetary life, the magnitude remains bathed in the radiation of indifference.
—
Clyde Wayne Crews Jr, Forbes.com, 14 July 2025
Butch Dill/Getty Images While the report is purely speculative at this point, Saban unretiring to get back into coaching wouldn't be a complete shock.
—Michael Gallagher, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 July 2025
Instead, the grande dame of hospitality was replaced by an overweening, obscenely tall, utterly out of place, speculative supertall skyscraper: the Empire State Building.
—Justin Davidson, Curbed, 10 July 2025
The past decades of skyrocketing property prices saw many in China splurge on new properties before they were even built or completed, which fueled a speculative bubble — followed by the high-profile defaults of Evergrande and other developers.
—Evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 9 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for speculative
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Clyde Wayne Crews Jr, Forbes.com, 14 July 2025
Butch Dill/Getty Images While the report is purely speculative at this point, Saban unretiring to get back into coaching wouldn't be a complete shock.
—Michael Gallagher, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 July 2025
Instead, the grande dame of hospitality was replaced by an overweening, obscenely tall, utterly out of place, speculative supertall skyscraper: the Empire State Building.
—Justin Davidson, Curbed, 10 July 2025
The past decades of skyrocketing property prices saw many in China splurge on new properties before they were even built or completed, which fueled a speculative bubble — followed by the high-profile defaults of Evergrande and other developers.
—Evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 9 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for speculative
Cite this Entry
“Speculative.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/speculative. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
speculative
adjective
spec·u·la·tive
ˈspek-yə-lət-iv
-ˌlāt-
1
a
: of or relating to mental speculation
speculative knowledge
b
: curious sense 1
a speculative glance
2
: of or relating to financial speculation
speculatively
adverb
Legal Definition
speculative
adjective
spec·u·la·tive
ˈspe-kyə-lə-tiv, -ˌlā-
1
: involving, based on, or constituting intellectual speculation
also
: theoretical rather than demonstrable
speculative medical testimony concerning the cause of death
2
: of, relating to, or being a financial speculation
speculative securities
speculative home building
speculatively
adverb
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