Guesswork

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The act of forming conclusions or estimates based on incomplete evidence is often referred to as speculative reasoning
2. Engaging in the creation of opinions or predictions without solid proof illustrates the concept of speculative reasoning
3. The process of making decisions or estimates when lacking full data or certainty

Etymology: "Guesswork" is a plain compound: "guess" joined to "work," with the sense of "work" meaning labour or activity rather than a job. The pairing is a transparent one, and the word's shape tells you most of what it means: the effort of arriving at an answer by estimation rather than by measurement or certain knowledge. The source connects it to Dutch "giswerk," which carries the same meaning and the same two-part construction. The parallel suggests the formation is not peculiar to English, though the source does not trace the Dutch and English words further back than this shared pattern, so the relationship is one of kinship in form rather than a shared ancestor that can be named here.

Synonyms: speculation, estimation, conjecture, assumption, hypothesis

Antonyms: certainty, knowledge, fact, truth, proof