theoretical
thee-uh-RET-i-kuhl/ˌθi.əˈɹɛt.ɪ.kəl/UKtheer-uh-RET-i-kuhl/ˌθɪəˈɹɛtɪkəl/AUSthee-RET-i-kuhl/ˌθiːˈɹet.ɪ.kəl/
- 1Based on ideas or thinking, not on real-world tests or experience.
Like a recipe you have read many times but never actually cooked.
The teacher gave a theoretical example that has never happened in real life.
His argument is purely theoretical and ignores what really happens.
Similarabstract, hypothetical, academic, conceptual, speculative
Oppositepractical
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Origin
This word came into Middle English as "theorothycall," probably from a Latin word "theōrēticus," which came from the Greek word "theōrētikós."