speculation
gb/spˌɛkjəlˈeɪʃən/ us/spˌɛkjəlˈeɪʃən/
B2
Angličtina
~ 5900
Významy
0 významů
Podstatné jméno
B2
action
1
guess or opinion without proof
The act of guessing or giving an opinion about something when you do not have all the facts, or the guesses themselves.
Vzorec užití:
[someone] makes speculation about [something]
Častá chyba:
Learners sometimes use *speculations* instead of the uncountable form in general statements, e.g. saying *There are a lot of speculations about it* instead of *There is a lot of speculation about it*. Use the plural *speculations* mainly for separate, specific guesses: *Their speculations about the reasons were all wrong.* Another mistake is confusing *speculation* with *spectacle*; *speculation* is about thinking and guessing, not about a show or performance.
Synonyma
guesswork (More informal and stresses that something is based mainly on guessing, often with little thought.)
|
conjecture (More formal and academic; often used for careful but unproven ideas.)
Antonyma
fact (Stresses something known to be true, not just an opinion or guess.)
|
evidence (Highlights information that supports a claim instead of an unsupported idea.)
Kolokace
public speculation
|media speculation
|pure speculation
|endless speculation
|fuel speculation
|subject of speculation
Témata
thinking
|communication
|media
|daily life
|core_vocabulary
Příklady
- There was a lot of speculation about why she left the company so suddenly.
- The announcement has fueled speculation that the prime minister will call an early election.
- Until the report is published, any talk of who was responsible is pure speculation.
- Analysts' speculation over the merger pushed the company into the headlines.
- Social media was full of wild speculation about the cause of the outage.
Učební příklady
- There is a lot of speculation about his new job.
- People are making speculation about when the war will end.
- The news story started more speculation about the couple's relationship.
- Until we have facts, our ideas are just speculation.
- Her comment led to speculation that the team might move to another city.
Podstatné jméno
technical
C1
action
2
risky trading for quick profit
The act of buying and selling things like shares or houses with high risk, hoping to make quick money from changes in price.
Vzorec užití:
[someone] engages in speculation in [a market]
Častá chyba:
Learners sometimes confuse this financial meaning with the general meaning of *guessing*. In finance, *speculation* is a kind of risky trading, not just an opinion. For example, *There was speculation on the currency* means people were trading it for profit, not simply talking about it.
Synonyma
trading (General word for buying and selling; does not always imply high risk or short-term profit like speculation does.)
|
gambling (Suggests chance and irresponsibility; often used negatively to criticize speculation seen as too risky.)
Antonyma
long-term investment (Focuses on holding assets for a long period with lower risk, not quick profit from price swings.)
Kolokace
financial speculation
|currency speculation
|real estate speculation
|engage in speculation
|ban on speculation
|limit speculation
Témata
business
|finance
|economics
Příklady
- Strict rules were introduced to curb risky speculation in the housing market.
- The rapid rise in food prices was partly blamed on speculation in commodity futures.
- Some politicians want a tax on financial speculation to reduce market volatility.
- Currency speculation put huge pressure on the country's central bank.
- He made his fortune through clever speculation on tech stocks in the 1990s.
Učební příklady
- The bank lost a lot of money because of bad speculation in the stock market.
- The government wants to stop speculation in food prices.
- She made money from speculation in real estate.
- Many people think too much speculation is bad for the economy.
- Foreign exchange speculation can change the value of a country's money.
Podstatné jméno
C1
entity
3
a risky investment venture
One risky business or property deal where someone hopes to make money from price changes.
Vzorec užití:
[something] is a speculation in [asset]
Častá chyba:
Learners may overuse the general, uncountable sense and avoid the countable *a speculation*. Use *a speculation* when you mean one specific risky deal or project, especially in property or business: *That hotel was a speculation that failed.*
Synonyma
venture (General word for a new risky business activity; does not always focus on price movements.)
Antonyma
safe investment (Highlights security and low risk, unlike a speculation which is risky.)
Kolokace
a property speculation
|a real estate speculation
|high-risk speculation
|a failed speculation
|an unwise speculation
Témata
business
|finance
Příklady
- Their downtown apartment project turned out to be a highly profitable speculation.
- Buying that land was a pure speculation that paid off when the city expanded.
- The hotel was originally a wild speculation by two young entrepreneurs.
- His property speculations in the region all collapsed during the crisis.
- The company denied that the deal was a short-term speculation.
Učební příklady
- The new building was a big speculation for the company.
- His first property speculation lost a lot of money.
- They called the project a risky speculation, not a safe plan.
- Buying empty land there is a speculation, not a sure thing.
- Her speculation in gold was successful.
Podstatné jméno
formal
C1
action
4
abstract or philosophical thinking
Deep, mostly academic thinking about big, abstract questions that do not have clear answers.
Vzorec užití:
[someone] engages in speculation about [abstract topic]
Častá chyba:
Learners may not realize this sense is more formal and academic. In everyday speech, use *thinking* or *ideas* instead, and reserve *speculation* for more serious or abstract discussion.
Synonyma
theorizing (Stresses building theories; often slightly critical when it seems too far from reality.)
|
reflection (Broader and more personal; not always about abstract, academic questions.)
Antonyma
practical action (Focuses on doing things in the real world rather than thinking about abstract ideas.)
Kolokace
philosophical speculation
|theological speculation
|metaphysical speculation
|abstract speculation
|scientific speculation
Témata
philosophy
|science
|thinking
|education
|core_vocabulary
Příklady
- The book moves from historical facts to bold philosophical speculation about the nature of time.
- He had little patience for abstract speculation that led to no concrete results.
- The lecture was full of theological speculation about life after death.
- Such cosmological speculation is fascinating but very hard to test.
- Her work combines careful data analysis with thoughtful speculation on future social trends.
Učební příklady
- The professor enjoys speculation about the meaning of life.
- This is not just speculation; it is serious philosophical work.
- The article includes speculation on the future of human language.
- He prefers facts and does not like abstract speculation.
- Some scientific speculation is impossible to prove today.
Gramatika
Slovníkový tvar
speculation
IPA
GB/spˌɛkjəlˈeɪʃən/
US/spˌɛkjəlˈeɪʃən/
Slabiky a přízvuk
spec - u - la - tion (4 slabiky)
Stress on 3rd syllable (la)
Tvary slova
Noun
- Base: speculation
- Plural: speculation, speculations
Příbuzná slova
Forms
speculations
noun
Core family
speculate
verb B2
speculative
adjective C1
Related words
speculator
noun
speculatively
adverb
Výrazy
engage in speculation
1/ɪŋɡˈeɪd͡ʒ ˈɪn spˌɛkjəlˈeɪʃən/
fixed phrase
take part in speculating
To take part in speculation, either by guessing about something or by doing risky financial trading.
Příklady
- Officials refused to engage in speculation about the reasons for the accident.
- Investors who engage in speculation can make big profits, but they can also suffer heavy losses.
fuel speculation
1/fjˈul spˌɛkjəlˈeɪʃən/
fixed phrase
cause more guessing and rumors
To make people guess and talk more about something, especially when they do not have all the facts.
Příklady
- The CEO's sudden resignation fueled speculation about a possible scandal.
- Rumors of budget cuts have fueled speculation that several schools may close.
market speculation
1/mˈɑɹkɪt spˌɛkjəlˈeɪʃən/
fixed phrase
technical
risky trading in markets
Risky buying and selling in financial markets, done to make money from changes in prices.
Příklady
- Some economists argue that excessive market speculation makes prices more unstable.
- The government introduced new rules to limit market speculation in food commodities.
media speculation
1/mˈidiə spˌɛkjəlˈeɪʃən/
fixed phrase
press guesses without full facts
Guesses and opinions made by newspapers, TV, and other media when they do not yet know all the facts.
Příklady
- There has been intense media speculation about the actor's sudden disappearance.
- The team tried to ignore media speculation about the coach's future.
mere speculation
1/mˈɪɹ spˌɛkjəlˈeɪʃən/
fixed phrase
only a guess, nothing more
Used to say that something is only a guess and has no real support from facts.
Příklady
- His theory is interesting, but at this point it is mere speculation.
- Any link between the two cases is, for now, mere speculation.
open to speculation
1/ˈoʊpən tə spˌɛkjəlˈeɪʃən/
fixed phrase
uncertain and invites guessing
Not clearly known or decided, so people can only guess about it.
Příklady
- The exact cause of the fire is still open to speculation.
- Her future with the company remains open to speculation.
pure speculation
1/pjˈʊɹ spˌɛkjəlˈeɪʃən/
fixed phrase
only a guess, no proof
Used to say that something is only a guess and not based on real facts or proof.
Příklady
- Any talk of closing the factory at this stage is pure speculation.
- Until the police release more information, the motives behind the attack remain pure speculation.
rife with speculation
1/ɹˈaɪf wˈɪθ spˌɛkjəlˈeɪʃən/
fixed phrase
full of guesses and rumors
Having a lot of guessing and rumors about something.
Příklady
- The office was rife with speculation about an upcoming reorganization.
- Social media is rife with speculation over the singer's next album.
the subject of speculation
1/ðə sˈʌbd͡ʒɪkt əv spˌɛkjəlˈeɪʃən/
fixed phrase
focus of guessing and talk
Used when many people are guessing and talking about a person or thing without knowing the full truth.
Příklady
- His health has been the subject of speculation for months.
- The future of the project is now the subject of speculation among employees.
idle speculation
1/ˈaɪdəl spˌɛkjəlˈeɪʃən/
fixed phrase
Guessing without real basis
Guesses and ideas about something when you do not have facts and the guesses are not very useful.
Příklady
- Let's avoid idle speculation and wait for the official report.
- The report avoids idle speculation and sticks to the facts.
- The meeting turned into idle speculation about who might be promoted next.
- There was a lot of idle speculation about who would be promoted.