frequently_asked_questions_files/Oxford Thesaurus.pdf

n. 1 conjecture, guess, hypothesis, theory, guesswork,
postulation, surmise, supposition, opinion: My speculations
have often proved true. Both the steady-state and the big-bang
theories of the origins of the universe are pure speculation. 2
thinking, rumination, cogitation, reflection, meditation,
contemplation, consideration, cerebration, pondering, wondering,
deliberation, evaluation: All serious philosophers engage in
idle speculation. 3 gambling, gamble, wagering, wager, taking
(a) chance(s) or risk(s), chance-taking: Her speculation on the
market paid off handsomely.
speculative
adj. 1 intellectual, ideational, abstract, cogitative,
notional, theoretical, hypothetical, conjectural, suppositional,
supposititious or suppositious, suppositive, rational,
ratiocinative, ideal, idealized, idealistic, unrealistic,
unpractical, impractical, analytical: Frank's theories about
climate change were entirely speculative and substantially
wrong. 2 risky, hazardous, uncertain, unreliable, untrustworthy,
doubtful, dubious, untested, unproven, unproved, Colloq iffy,
chancy, Slang dicey: You ought to invest your money in less
speculative enterprises.
speech n. 1 speaking, talking, articulation, diction, language,
expression, enunciation, elocution, speech pattern;
communication: His speech is marred by a lisp. Martha studied
speech at a well-known drama school. 2 oration, address,
lecture, talk, discourse, disquisition, sermon, homily; tirade,
harangue, philippic; (sales) pitch, line, song and dance; Colloq
spiel, blast: Her speech left her audience awed with her
knowledge of the subject. When the householder opens the door,
you launch into your speech about the encyclopedia. 3 dialect,
idiolect, jargon, parlance, idiom, fa‡on de parler, language,
tongue, Colloq lingo: English speech varieties range from Scots
to Cockney to Texan to Jamaican.
speechless
adj. 1 mute, dumb, voiceless: He was speechless and in shock
for two days following the accident. They claim to speak for
animals who are, of course, speechless themselves. 2 dumbfounded
or dumfounded, dumbstruck or dumbstricken, wordless, struck
dumb, tongue-tied, thunderstruck, shocked, dazed, inarticulate,
paralysed, nonplussed, Slang Brit gobsmacked: He was speechless