theoretically

English

Etymology

Etymology tree
English theoretical
Proto-Indo-European *leyg-der.
Proto-Germanic *līkąder.
Proto-Germanic *-līkaz
Proto-Germanic *-ê
Proto-Germanic *-līkê
Proto-West Germanic *-līkē
Old English -līċe
Middle English -ly
English -ly
English theoretically

    From theoretical + -ly.

    Pronunciation

    • Audio (Southern England):(file)
    • Audio (US):(file)

    Adverb

    theoretically (not comparable)

    1. In theory; on paper.
      I haven't tested it, but theoretically it ought to fly.
      • 2019 February 8, Saunatimes Guest Posts, quoting Tyler, “Father and sons take a 280 degree f. sauna, documenting the only “300 Club” in North America”, in SaunaTimes‎[1], archived from the original on 3 September 2026:
        Of course, it will never get -100 here like it does in Antarctica, but a 300-degree swing was still theoretically possible on a record-cold Minnesota morning–if we got the sauna hot enough.
    2. In a theoretical manner.
      I solved the problem theoretically rather than practically.
    3. In theory though not necessarily in reality.
      • 1985 December 14, Gordon Gottlieb, “L.A. Community Divided over Terrigno Indictment”, in Gay Community News, volume 13, number 22, page 10:
        Rumors of an indictment had spread through this heavily gay and lesbian community since shortly after the theoretically secret investigation began in 1984.
      • 2023 November 1, Honest Dentist Appointment:
        No, but insurance does cover it. Theoretically.

    Derived terms

    Translations

    Anagrams

    This page is issued from Wiktionary. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.