English > speculate: 4 senses > verb 1, cognition| Meaning | To believe especially on uncertain or tentative grounds. |
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| Pattern | Somebody ----s that CLAUSE |
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| Model | They speculate that there was a traffic accident |
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| Synonyms | theorize, theorise, conjecture, hypothesize, hypothesise, hypothecate, suppose |
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| Narrower | explicate, formulate, develop | elaborate, as of theories and hypotheses |
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| reconstruct, construct, retrace | reassemble mentally |
| Broader | expect, anticipate | regard something as probable or likely |
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| Spanish | conjeturar, especular, hipotetizar, imaginar, suponer, teorizar |
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| Catalan | conjecturar, especular, fer hipòtesis, imaginar, suposar, teoritzar |
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| Adjectives | speculative | not based on fact or investigation |
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| Nouns | speculation | a hypothesis that has been formed by speculating or conjecturing (usually with little hard evidence) |
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| speculator | someone who makes conjectures without knowing the facts |
English > speculate: 4 senses > verb 3, cognition| Meaning | Reflect deeply on a subject / subject. |
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| Pattern | Somebody ----s PP |
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| Example | "philosophers have speculated on the question of God for thousands of years" |
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| Synonyms | chew over, think over, meditate, ponder, excogitate, contemplate, muse, reflect, mull, mull over, ruminate |
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| Narrower | bethink | Consider or ponder something carefully |
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| cogitate | Consider carefully and deeply |
| introspect | Reflect on one's own thoughts and feelings |
| premeditate | Think or reflect beforehand or in advance |
| puzzle | Be uncertain about |
| study, consider | Give careful consideration to |
| theologize, theologise | make theoretical speculations about theology or discuss theological subjects |
| wonder, question | place in doubt or express doubtful speculation |
| Broader | think, cogitate, cerebrate | Use or exercise the mind or one's power of reason in order to make inferences, decisions, or arrive at a solution or judgments |
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| Spanish | cavilar, considerar, especular, meditar, ponderar, reflexionar, rumiar |
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| Catalan | especular, meditar, ponderar, reflexionar, rumiar |
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| Adjectives | speculative | showing curiosity |
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| Nouns | speculation | continuous and profound contemplation or musing on a subject / subject or series of subjects / subjects of a deep or abstruse nature |
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