Meanings
present singular third person speculates · participle present speculating · participle past speculated · past speculated
- intransitiveobsoleteTo think, meditate or reflect on a subject; to consider, to deliberate or cogitate.
It is remarkable that persons who speculate the most boldly often conform with the most perfect quietude to the external regulations of society.
1850, Nathaniel Hawthorne, chapter 13, in The Scarlet Letter, a Romance, Boston, Mass.: Ticknor, Reed, and Fields, →OCLC - intransitiveTo make an inference based on inconclusive evidence; to surmise or conjecture.
We can speculate that in many instances the sharks are not feeding on their victims, but only in a few cases can we guess what they are doing.
1983, Richard Ellis, The Book of Sharks, Knopf, →ISBN, page 1711 more example
It is tempting to speculate about the incentives or compulsions that might explain why anyone would take to the skies in [the] basket [of a balloon]: perhaps out of a desire to escape the gravity of this world or to get a preview of the next; […].
2013 June 7, David Simpson, “Fantasy of navigation”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 188, number 26, page 36 - intransitivebusinessTo make a risky trade in the hope of making a profit; to venture or gamble.
Some preliminary legal arrangements were made, but the scheme proceeded no further, as the various local authorities concerned were unwilling to speculate public funds on what was, even at that date, a will o' the wisp.
1951 May, R. K. Kirkland, “The Cavan & Leitrim Railway”, in Railway Magazine, page 345 - intransitivecomputingTo anticipate which branch of code will be chosen and execute it in advance.
Synonyms & antonyms
verbto believe especially on uncertain or tentative grounds
verbreflect deeply on a subject
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latinspeculātus
- Englishspeculate
Borrowed from Latin speculātus, perfect active participle of speculor (“to watch, observe, examine, spy”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from specula (“a watchtower”), ultimately from speciō (“to look at”).
More words from Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek θεωρέω
- θεωρέω (theōréō)to make an inference based on inconclusive evidence
Bulgarian размишлявам, спекулирам
- размишлявам (razmišljavam)(obsolete in English) to meditate
- спекулирам (spekuliram)to make an inference based on inconclusive evidence
- спекулирам (spekuliram)to make a risky trade
Chinese Mandarin 沉思, 猜測 /猜测
- 沉思 (chénsī)(obsolete in English) to meditate
- 猜測 /猜测 (cāicè)to make an inference based on inconclusive evidence
- 推測 /推测 (tuīcè)to make an inference based on inconclusive evidence
- 投機 /投机 (tóujī)to make a risky trade
- 投機倒把 /投机倒把 (tóujī dǎobǎ)to make a risky trade
Czech spekulovat
- spekulovatto make a risky trade
Danish spekulere, gætte
- spekulere(obsolete in English) to meditate
- gætteto make an inference based on inconclusive evidence
- spekulereto make a risky trade
Dutch vermoeden, speculeren
- vermoedento make an inference based on inconclusive evidence
- speculerento make a risky trade
Finnish pohtia, pohdiskella
- pohtia(obsolete in English) to meditate
- pohdiskella(obsolete in English) to meditate
- arvaillato make an inference based on inconclusive evidence
- jossitellato make an inference based on inconclusive evidence
- keinotellato make a risky trade
- spekuloidato make a risky trade
French spéculer, spéculer
- spéculer(obsolete in English) to meditate
- spéculerto make a risky trade
German spekulieren, Vermutungen anstellen
- spekulieren(obsolete in English) to meditate
- Vermutungen anstellen(obsolete in English) to meditate
- vermutento make an inference based on inconclusive evidence
- spekulierento make a risky trade
Hungarian mereng, spekulál
- mereng(obsolete in English) to meditate
- spekulál(obsolete in English) to meditate
- spekulálto make an inference based on inconclusive evidence
- spekulálto make a risky trade
Indonesian berspekulasi
- berspekulasito make an inference based on inconclusive evidence
Italian cogitare, meditare
- cogitare(obsolete in English) to meditate
- meditare(obsolete in English) to meditate
- escogitare(obsolete in English) to meditate
- speculareto make an inference based on inconclusive evidence
- elucubrareto make an inference based on inconclusive evidence
- speculareto make a risky trade
- giocareto make a risky trade
- investireto make a risky trade
- approfittarsito make a risky trade
Māori kohuki, whakaaroaro
- kohuki(obsolete in English) to meditate
- whakaaroaro(obsolete in English) to meditate
- kohukito make an inference based on inconclusive evidence
Polish gdybać, spekulować
- gdybaćto make an inference based on inconclusive evidence
- spekulowaćto make a risky trade
Russian размышля́ть, де́лать предположе́ния
- размышля́ть (razmyšljátʹ)(obsolete in English) to meditate
- де́лать предположе́ния (délatʹ predpoložénija)(obsolete in English) to meditate
- предполага́ть (predpolagátʹ)to make an inference based on inconclusive evidence
- спекули́ровать (spekulírovatʹ)to make a risky trade
Spanish especular, elucubrar
- especularto make an inference based on inconclusive evidence
- elucubrarto make an inference based on inconclusive evidence
Swedish spekulera, spekulera
- spekulera(obsolete in English) to meditate
- spekulerato make a risky trade
Cite this entry
speculate. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/speculate
“speculate.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/speculate. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “speculate,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/speculate.
Source: speculate on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.