theoretical

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• theoretical — theoretical, *speculative, academic can be applied to minds, types of reasoning or philosophizing, or branches of learning as meaning concerned principally with abstractions and theories, sometimes at the expense of practical basis or application …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

• theoretical — UK US /θɪəˈretɪkəl/ adjective ► based on ideas or theories, rather than practical uses of something or actual events: »theoretical economics/physics »theoretical models/analyses/approaches »a theoretical framework/foundation/underpinning ►… …   Financial and business terms

• theoretical — I adjective abstract, academic, assumed, conjectural, doctrina, doctrinaire, hypothetical, ideational, ideative, ideological, impractical, open to proof, philosophical, postulated, postulatory, presumed, presumptive, pure, ratio, speculative,… …   Law dictionary

• theoretical — (adj.) 1610s, from L.L. theoreticus of or pertaining to theory (c.397), from Gk. theoretikos contemplative, pertaining to theory (by Aristotle contrasted to praktikos), from theoretos that may be seen or considered, from theorein to consider,… …   Etymology dictionary

• theoretical — [adj] hypothetical abstract, academic, analytical, as a premise, assumed, codified, conjectural, contingent, formalistic, formularized, general, ideal, idealized, ideational, ideological, imaginative, impractical, instanced, intellectual, in the… …   New thesaurus

• theoretical — (also theoretic) ► ADJECTIVE 1) concerned with or involving theory rather than its practical application. 2) based on or calculated through theory. DERIVATIVES theoretically adverb …   English terms dictionary

• theoretical — [thē΄ə ret′i kəl] adj. [< LL theoreticus < Gr theōrētikos < AL] 1. of or constituting theory 2. limited to or based on theory; not practical or applied; hypothetical 3. tending to theorize; speculative: Also theoretic theoretically adv …   English World dictionary

• theoretical — theo|ret|i|cal W3 [θıəˈretıkəl US ˌθi:ə ] adj also theo|ret|ic [θıəˈretık US ˌθi:ə ] 1.) relating to the study of ideas, especially scientific ideas, rather than with practical uses of the ideas or practical experience →↑theory, practical… …   Dictionary of contemporary English

• theoretical — [[t]θi͟ːəre̱tɪk(ə)l[/t]] 1) ADJ: usu ADJ n A theoretical study or explanation is based on or uses the ideas and abstract principles that relate to a particular subject, rather than the practical aspects or uses of it. ...theoretical physics. 2)… …   English dictionary

• theoretical — the|o|ret|i|cal [ ,θiə retıkl ] adjective ** based on theories or ideas instead of practical experience: The course is designed to be practical rather than theoretical. a. relating to theories or ideas: the theoretical framework of the research b …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

• theoretical */*/ — UK [ˌθɪəˈretɪk(ə)l] / US [ˌθɪəˈretɪk(ə)l] adjective 1) based on theories or ideas instead of on practical experience The course is designed to be practical rather than theoretical. a) relating to theories or ideas the theoretical framework of the …   English dictionary