Definition of hypothesis - WordReference.com Dictionary

WordReference.com English Dictionary

hypothesis
A	noun
	1	hypothesis, possibility, theory
			a tentative theory about the natural world; a concept that is not yet verified but that if true would explain certain facts or phenomena; "a scientific hypothesis that survives experimental testing becomes a scientific theory"; "he proposed a fresh theory
		Category Tree: psychological feature ╚cognition; knowledge; noesis ╚content; cognitive content; mental object ╚idea; thought ╚concept; conception; construct ╚hypothesis, possibility, theory ╚assumption; supposition; supposal ╚speculation; conjecture ╚model; theoretical account; framework
	2	guess, conjecture, supposition, surmise, surmisal, speculation, hypothesis
			a message expressing an opinion based on incomplete evidence
		Category Tree: abstraction ╚relation ╚social relation ╚communication ╚message; content; subject matter; substance ╚opinion; view ╚guess, conjecture, supposition, surmise, surmisal, speculation, hypothesis ╚divination
	3	hypothesis
			a proposal intended to explain certain facts or observations
		Category Tree: abstraction ╚relation ╚social relation ╚communication ╚message; content; subject matter; substance ╚proposal ╚hypothesis