hypothesis.

A proposed explanation or relationship that can be examined against evidence.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• test a hypothesis
• working hypothesis

On the page

The new observations did not support the original hypothesis.

Usage notes

Primary category: academic / formal. Forms: Singular hypothesis; plural hypotheses. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Writing functions: analysis, explanation. Commonness: common.