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Imaginary vs Hypothetical - What's the difference?

imaginary | hypothetical | Related terms |

As adjectives the difference between imaginary and hypothetical

is that imaginary is existing only in the imagination while hypothetical is based upon a hypothesis; conjectural.

As nouns the difference between imaginary and hypothetical

is that imaginary is imagination; fancy while hypothetical is a hypothetical situation or proposition.

imaginary

English

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • existing only in the imagination
  • * Addison
    • Wilt thou add to all the griefs I suffer / Imaginary ills and fancied tortures?
  • (mathematics) of a number, having no real part; that part of a complex number which is a multiple of the square root of -1.

    • Derived terms

    * imaginarily * imaginariness

    Noun

    (imaginaries)
  • Imagination; fancy.
  • * 2002 , , The Great Nation , Penguin 2003, p. 324:
    • By then too Mozart's opera, from Da Ponte's libretto, had made Figaro a stock character in the European imaginary and set the whole Continent whistling Mozartian airs and chuckling at Figaresque humour.
  • (mathematics) An imaginary quantity.

    • External links

    * (Imaginary number)

    hypothetical

    English

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Based upon a hypothesis; conjectural
  • *
  • (philosophy) conditional; contingent upon some hypothesis/antecedent

    • Synonyms

    * conjectural * (contingent upon some hypothesis) conditional

    Antonyms

    * (actual) actual * (in philosophy) categorical

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A hypothetical situation or proposition
    • These hypotheticals serve no purpose until we have more information.

    Related terms

    * hypothesis * hypothesize