Synonyms for speculate
Synonyms by meaning
Verb
1. Ruminate — to think, meditate or reflect on a subject; to consider, to deliberate or cogitate
think, ruminate, reflect, ponder, contemplate, consider, think over, muse, meditate, mull, cogitate, mull over, chew over, excogitate, deliberate
2. Theorize
theorize, theorise UK, hypothesize UK US, hypothesise UK, hypothetise UK, guess, surmise, suppose, conjecture, hypothecate, presume
Definitions
- v. 1
To think, meditate or reflect on a subject; to consider, to deliberate or cogitate.
- v. 2
To make an inference based on inconclusive evidence; to surmise or conjecture.
Related words
- Word family
- species spectacle spectacular speculation speculative speculator
Forms
- Past participle
- speculated
e.g. speculated → ruminated, reflected, pondered, contemplated…
Example sentences
- reflect You reflect a quiet confidence in all that you do.
- contemplate Let's contemplate Swedish meatballs for a moment.
- ponder These are very disconcerting questions to ponder.
- guess I guess the time of reckoning has arrived at last.
- theorize I theorize a terrorist breeding ground and terrorize a rigorist network.
Popularity over time
| Word | 1850 → 2019 | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| speculate | steady | |
| reflect | steady | |
| contemplate | steady | |
| ponder | rising | |
| ruminate | rising | |
| guess | rising |
Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.
By length
- 3 letters
- job1
- 4 letters
- muse1, mull1
- 5 letters
- think1, guess1, trade1, wager2
- 6 letters
- ponder2
- 7 letters
- suppose2, reflect2, presume2, surmise2
- 8 letters
- consider3, meditate3, theorize3, ruminate3, theorise, cogitate3
- 10 letters
- deliberate4, conjecture3, excogitate
- 11 letters
- contemplate3, hypothesize4, hypothesise, hypothecate, hypothetise
The small number after each word is its number of syllables (wager2 = 2 syllables).