speculation
n. C / Un. the act of forming a theory or opinion without having all the facts. It can also mean buying something risky, like stocks or land, hoping to sell it later for a profit.
n. the formation of a theory or conjecture without firm evidence; also refers to investment in assets with high risk in expectation of significant gain. Often used in financial contexts to describe market activity driven by price fluctuations rather than intrinsic value.
There is a lot of speculation about who will win the election.
The sudden rise in local property prices was driven more by financial speculation than by actual housing demand.
While the report contains some grounded analysis, the final chapter descends into mere speculation regarding the long-term social consequences of the policy shift.
Etymology tree Middle English speculation English speculation From Middle English speculacioun, speculation, from Old French speculation (compare French spéculation), from Late Latin speculātiō, speculātiōnem, from Latin speculor. Morphologically speculate + -ion.
Uncountable when referring to the general activity of guessing; countable when referring to a specific theory or financial venture.
speculation about of the futurespeculation about the futureSpeculation is followed by 'about', 'on', or 'as to'; learners sometimes incorrectly add 'of' after 'about'.