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hypothesis definition

hy·poth·esis (hī pät̸h′ə sis, hi-)

noun pl. hypotheses -·ses′ (-sēz′)

an unproved theory, proposition, supposition, etc. tentatively accepted to explain certain facts or (working hypothesis) to provide a basis for further investigation, argument, etc.

Etymology: Gr, groundwork, foundation, supposition < hypotithenai, to place under < hypo-, under + tithenai, to place: see hypo- & do

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Alternate definitions:

business hypothesis definition - business

medical hypothesis definition - medical

hypothesis Synonyms

hypothesis

n.

theory, supposition, surmise, speculation, scheme, system, conjecture, prediction, assumption, presumption, condition, suggestion, thesis, proposal, working hypothesis, preliminary layout, tentative plans, basis for discussion, apriority, law, inference, antecedent, reason, position, assignment, starting point, basis, derivation, philosopheme, ground, term, scheme, belief, foundation, postulate, axiom, presupposition, premise, data, attribution, interpretation, deduction, demonstration, tentative law, principle, lemma, explanation, theorem, rationale, philosophy, shot in the dark*, guess-so*, clotheshorse*; see also guess, opinion 1, theory 1. See syn. study at theory.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

hypothesis Usage Examples

Preposition: of

  • crowd-out: All participants complete percent of the hypothesis of crowd-out we would expect.

Converse of object

  • reject: In this case, the correct decision is to reject the null hypothesis.

Adjective modifier

  • null: For these experiments, the null hypothesis was rejected.

Modifies a noun

  • testing: Take, for instance, the basic concept of hypothesis testing.

Noun used with modifier

  • priori: The trick of course is to find an alternative a priori hypothesis.
hypothesis usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

hypothesis quotes

Humanbeings, intheirgenerous endeavour to construct a hypothesis that shall not degrade a First Cause, have always hesitated to conceive a dominant power of a lower moral quality than their own.

-Hardy,Thomas

   The great tragedy of Scienceöthe slaying of a beautiful hypothesis byan ugly fact.

-Huxley,T(homas) H(enry)

Uberhaupt ist es fu«  r den Forscher ein guter Morgensport, t a« glich vor dem Fru«  hstu«  ck eine Lieblingshypothese einzustampfenödas erh a« lt jung. It is a good morning exercise for a research scientist to discard a pet hypothesis every day before breakfast. It keeps him young.

-Lorenz, Konrad

hypothesis quotes (more)

Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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"hypothesis." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 4 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/hypothesis>

APA Style

hypothesis. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 4th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/hypothesis

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