{"id":1143,"date":"2024-02-13T08:48:05","date_gmt":"2024-02-13T08:48:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/commonlawdictionary.com\/index.php\/glossary\/conjecture-n\/"},"modified":"2026-08-10T06:48:21","modified_gmt":"2026-08-10T06:48:21","slug":"conjecture-n","status":"publish","type":"glossary","link":"https:\/\/commonlawdictionary.com\/index.php\/glossary\/conjecture-n\/","title":{"rendered":"Conjecture (n)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Conjecture (n<\/a>)<\/p>\n


\n<\/p>\n

\"Conjecture<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

Primary Definition<\/h2>\n

As a<\/a> noun, conjecture<\/em> means a<\/a> conclusion, opinion, or proposed explanation formed from incomplete information and not yet established by adequate proof. It may be an educated judgment assembled from known circumstances, or it may be little more than unsupported guesswork. The defining feature is not necessarily irrationality, but uncertainty: the conclusion reaches beyond what the available evidence conclusively demonstrates. Standard dictionaries therefore describe conjecture as an inference made without proof or sufficient evidence and, in mathematics, as a<\/a> proposition that has not yet been proved or disproved. ([merriam-webster.com](https:\/\/www.merriam-webster.com\/dictionary\/conjecture?utm_source=openai))<\/span><\/p>\n

The word can identify either a<\/a> particular proposition or the mental process by which such a<\/a> proposition is formed. Thus, a<\/a> person may offer “a<\/a> conjecture” concerning an unexplained event, while the event itself may remain “a<\/a> matter of conjecture.” Closely related words include surmise<\/em>, supposition<\/em>, speculation<\/em>, guess<\/em>, and hypothesis<\/em>, but these are not exact equivalents in every context.<\/p>\n

Conjecture Distinguished from Related Concepts<\/h3>\n