Theoretical

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˌθɪəˈɹɛtɪkəl/

Definitions

1. relating to or based on ideas and principles rather than practical application or real-world experience
2. pertaining to concepts and principles that exist in theory rather than being demonstrated or applied in practice
3. describing a framework or model that is based on abstract reasoning rather than empirical evidence or direct experience

Etymology: The Greek root behind "theoretical" is "theōrein," meaning "to look at, contemplate, observe," which is itself built from "theōros," a spectator, someone sent to witness an event such as a religious festival or the Olympic Games. The Greek "theōrētikos" meant concerned with contemplation or speculation, as opposed to action, so from the start the word set looking and thinking against doing. The English form came through Latin "theōrēticus," which carried that same sense of contemplative, as opposed to practical, knowledge. Middle English borrowed the Latin adjective in a form that already looked much like the modern one, with the suffix "-al" added to make an adjective of quality. The word therefore passed into English as a distinction between knowing and doing, and the "theory versus practice" contrast it now expresses was present in its ancestry long before anyone applied it to laboratory experiments.

Synonyms: abstract, hypothetical, speculative

Antonyms: practical, applied