speculative

speculative
[[t]spe̱kjʊlətɪv, AM -leɪt-[/t]]
1) ADJ-GRADED A piece of information that is speculative is based on guesses rather than knowledge.

The papers ran speculative stories about the mysterious disappearance of Eddie Donagan...

He has written a speculative biography of Christopher Marlowe.

2) ADJ-GRADED Someone who has a speculative expression seems to be trying to guess something about a person or thing.

His mother regarded him with a speculative eye.

Derived words:
speculatively ADV-GRADED ADV with v

I caught her eyes on me speculatively. I imagined she was wondering about my relationship with Max.

3) ADJ Speculative is used to describe activities which involve buying goods or shares, or buildings and properties in the hope of being able to sell them again at a higher price and make a profit.

Thousands of pensioners were persuaded to mortgage their homes to invest in speculative bonds...

The King's Reach hotel was built as a speculative venture but never completed.


English dictionary. 2008.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую
Synonyms:
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Look at other dictionaries:

  • speculative — spec·u·la·tive / spe kyə lə tiv, ˌlā / adj 1: involving, based on, or constituting intellectual speculation; also: theoretical rather than demonstrable speculative medical testimony concerning the cause of death 2: of, relating to, or being a… …   Law dictionary

  • Speculative — Spec u*la*tive (sp[e^]k [ u]*l[.a]*t[i^]v), a. [Cf. F. sp[ e]culatif, L. speculativus.] 1. Given to speculation; contemplative. [1913 Webster] The mind of man being by nature speculative. Hooker. [1913 Webster] 2. Involving, or formed by,… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Speculative — may refer to: *For economics usage, see Speculation *For usage in literature, see Speculative fiction *For philosophical usage, see Speculative philosophy and Speculative reason …   Wikipedia

  • speculative — Speculative. s. f. Theorie. Speculation. Cela est bon dans la speculative, & non pas dans la pratique …   Dictionnaire de l'Académie française

  • speculative — (adj.) late 14c., from O.Fr. speculatif or directly from L.L. speculativus, from pp. stem of speculari (see SPECULATION (Cf. speculation)). Related: Speculatively …   Etymology dictionary

  • speculative — 1 contemplative, meditative, *thoughtful, reflective, pensive Analogous words: conjecturing or conjectural, surmising, guessing (see corresponding verbs at CONJECTURE): pondering, musing, ruminating (see PONDER) 2 *theoretical, academic …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • speculative — [adj] theoretical abstract, analytical, assumed, conceptive, dangerous, dicey, experimental, formularized, hairy, hazardous, hypothetical, ideal, idealized, ideological, iffy, intellectual, in theory, logical, notional, philosophical, presumed,… …   New thesaurus

  • speculative — ► ADJECTIVE 1) engaged in or based on conjecture rather than knowledge. 2) (of an investment) involving a high risk of loss. DERIVATIVES speculatively adverb speculativeness noun …   English terms dictionary

  • speculative — [spek′yə lāt΄iv, spek′yələ tiv] adj. [ME speculatif < MFr < LL speculativus] 1. of, characterized by, or having the nature of, speculation or meditation, conjecture, etc. 2. theoretical, not practical 3. of or characterized by financial… …   English World dictionary

  • speculative — securities that involve a high level of risk. Bloomberg Financial Dictionary * * * speculative spec‧u‧la‧tive [ˈspekjlətɪv ǁ leɪ ] adjective 1. FINANCE bought or done in the hope of making a profit: • Their £461 million bid for the electronics… …   Financial and business terms

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