Definitions for theoretical
ˌθi əˈrɛt ɪ kəlthe·o·ret·i·cal

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:4.0 / 1 vote

1. theoretical, theoreticadjective

   concerned primarily with theories or hypotheses rather than practical considerations

   "theoretical science"

2. theoreticaladjective

   concerned with theories rather than their practical applications

   "theoretical physics"

WiktionaryRate this definition:3.3 / 4 votes

1. theoreticaladjective

   Of or relating to theory; abstract; not empirical.

Samuel Johnson's DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Theoretical, Theoretick, Theorical, Theorickadjective

   Speculative; depending on theory or speculation; terminating in theory or speculation; not practical.

   Etymology: theorique, Fr. from ϑεωρία.

   When he speaks,
   The air, a charter’d libertine, is still;
   And the mute wonder lurketh in mens ears,
   To steal his sweet and honied sentences:
   So that the act and practick part of life
   Must be the mistress to this theorique. William Shakespeare.

   The theorical part of the inquiry being interwoven with the historical conjectures, the philosophy of colours will be promoted by indisputable experiments. Robert Boyle, on Colours.

   For theoretical learning and sciences there is nothing yet complete. Thomas Burnet, Theory of the Earth.

ChatGPTRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. theoretical

   Theoretical refers to something that is based on theories or principles and not connected with practical or concrete implementation. It involves ideas, concepts, and intellectual reasoning rather than practical application or physical actions. Often, it includes abstract or philosophical thinking that helps in understanding and explaining a particular phenomenon or subject matter.

Webster DictionaryRate this definition:5.0 / 2 votes

1. Theoreticaladjective

   pertaining to theory; depending on, or confined to, theory or speculation; speculative; terminating in theory or speculation: not practical; as, theoretical learning; theoretic sciences

British National Corpus

1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'theoretical' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #3184

2. Adjectives Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'theoretical' in Adjectives Frequency: #442

How to pronounce theoretical?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say theoretical in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of theoretical in Chaldean Numerology is: 4

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of theoretical in Pythagorean Numerology is: 8

Examples of theoretical in a Sentence

1. Martin Dempsey:

   At the planning level, it's not theoretical. It's very practical, looking at geographic locations, road networks, airfields, places where we can actually establish these hubs.

2. George Daniels on Wednesday:

   What were previously theoretical harms have proven to be true. We no longer need to imagine the worst-case scenario ; we are experiencing its dramatic effects in real time.

3. Kevin Griffis:

   It's going to supercharge a sentiment that is already animating the base in a truly unprecedented way, it's not theoretical anymore, it's a clear and present danger.

4. Demetre Daskalakis:

   If it's a hug that doesn't necessarily include a shirt, there's a theoretical risk of transmission there, but that's not what we're hearing in terms of what's happening with our cases, so it's lower risk. I can't say zero risk.

5. Sara Watson:

   We don't have any immediate plans to study this phenomenon in the US, but we also have no theoretical reasons to expect that our findings would not extend to the American setting.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

References

1. ^ Princeton's WordNet
   http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=theoretical
2. ^ Wiktionary
   https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Theoretical
3. ^ Samuel Johnson's Dictionary
   https://johnsonsdictionaryonline.com/views/search.php?term=theoretical
4. ^ ChatGPT
   https://chat.openai.com
5. ^ Webster Dictionary
   https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/theoretical