speculation
gb/spˌɛkjəlˈeɪʃən/ us/spˌɛkjəlˈeɪʃən/
B2
English
~ 5900
találgatás, feltételezés, spekuláció, spekulatív kereskedés, spekulatív befektetés, elmélkedés, elméleti fejtegetés
NOUN
B2
1
Usage pattern:
[someone] makes speculation about [something]
There was a lot of speculation about why she left the company so suddenly.
Sok találgatás folyt arról, miért hagyta ott ilyen hirtelen a céget.
The announcement has fueled speculation that the prime minister will call an early election.
A bejelentés tovább táplálta a találgatásokat arról, hogy a miniszterelnök előrehozott választást ír ki.
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.
Learner examples
There is a lot of speculation about his new job.
Sok a találgatás az új munkájával kapcsolatban.
People are making speculation about when the war will end.
Sokan találgatják, mikor ér véget a háború.
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.
Common mistake:
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.
Meaning
guess or opinion without proof
Collocations
public speculation
|media speculation
|pure speculation
|endless speculation
|fuel speculation
|subject of speculation
Synonyms
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.)
Antonyms
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.)
Themes
thinking
|communication
|media
|daily life
|core_vocabulary
Definition
The act of guessing or giving an opinion about something when you do not have all the facts, or the guesses themselves.
The act or process of forming ideas, guesses, or opinions about something when you do not have complete information, or the ideas themselves.
NOUN
C1
TECHNICAL
2
Usage pattern:
[someone] engages in speculation in [a market]
Strict rules were introduced to curb risky speculation in the housing market.
Szigorú szabályokat vezettek be a lakáspiacon tapasztalható kockázatos spekuláció visszaszorítására.
The rapid rise in food prices was partly blamed on speculation in commodity futures.
Az élelmiszerárak gyors emelkedését részben az árutőzsdei határidős ügyletekkel folytatott spekulációnak tulajdonították.
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.
Learner examples
The bank lost a lot of money because of bad speculation in the stock market.
A bank sok pénzt veszített a rossz tőzsdei spekulációk miatt.
The government wants to stop speculation in food prices.
A kormány meg akarja fékezni az élelmiszerárakkal való spekulációt.
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.
Common mistake:
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.
Meaning
risky trading for quick profit
Collocations
financial speculation
|currency speculation
|real estate speculation
|engage in speculation
|ban on speculation
|limit speculation
Synonyms
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.)
Antonyms
long-term investment (Focuses on holding assets for a long period with lower risk, not quick profit from price swings.)
Themes
business
|finance
|economics
Definition
The act of buying and selling things like shares or houses with high risk, hoping to make quick money from changes in price.
The financial activity of buying and selling assets such as stocks, real estate, or currencies, mainly to profit from short-term price changes and accepting a high level of risk.
NOUN
C1
3
Usage pattern:
[something] is a speculation in [asset]
Their downtown apartment project turned out to be a highly profitable speculation.
A belvárosi lakásprojektjük végül rendkívül jövedelmező spekulatív befektetésnek bizonyult.
Buying that land was a pure speculation that paid off when the city expanded.
A föld megvásárlása tiszta spekuláció volt, ami meghozta a hasznát, amikor a város terjeszkedni kezdett.
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.
Learner examples
The new building was a big speculation for the company.
Az új épület nagy spekulatív befektetés volt a cég számára.
His first property speculation lost a lot of money.
Az első ingatlanspekulációján sok pénzt veszített.
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.
Common mistake:
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.*
Meaning
a risky investment venture
Collocations
a property speculation
|a real estate speculation
|high-risk speculation
|a failed speculation
|an unwise speculation
Synonyms
venture (General word for a new risky business activity; does not always focus on price movements.)
Antonyms
safe investment (Highlights security and low risk, unlike a speculation which is risky.)
Themes
business
|finance
Definition
One risky business or property deal where someone hopes to make money from price changes.
A particular investment, especially in property or business, that involves a high level of risk in the hope of making a profit from future price changes.
NOUN
C1
FORMAL
4
Usage pattern:
[someone] engages in speculation about [abstract topic]
The book moves from historical facts to bold philosophical speculation about the nature of time.
A könyv a történelmi tényektől eljut az idő természetéről szóló merész filozófiai spekulációkig.
He had little patience for abstract speculation that led to no concrete results.
Kevés türelme volt az olyan elvont elmélkedéshez, amely nem vezetett konkrét eredményre.
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.
Learner examples
The professor enjoys speculation about the meaning of life.
A professzor szívesen elmélkedik az élet értelméről.
This is not just speculation; it is serious philosophical work.
Ez nem puszta spekuláció; komoly filozófiai munka.
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.
Common mistake:
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.
Meaning
abstract or philosophical thinking
Collocations
philosophical speculation
|theological speculation
|metaphysical speculation
|abstract speculation
|scientific speculation
Synonyms
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.)
Antonyms
practical action (Focuses on doing things in the real world rather than thinking about abstract ideas.)
Themes
philosophy
|science
|thinking
|education
|core_vocabulary
Definition
Deep, mostly academic thinking about big, abstract questions that do not have clear answers.
Serious, often philosophical thinking or discussion about abstract questions that may not have clear answers or immediate practical use.
Grammar
Dictionary form
speculation
IPA
GB/spˌɛkjəlˈeɪʃən/
US/spˌɛkjəlˈeɪʃən/
Syllables & stress
spec - u - la - tion (4 syllables)
Stress on 3rd syllable (la)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: speculation
- Plural: speculation, speculations
Word family
Forms
speculations
noun
Core family
speculate
verb B2
speculative
adjective C1
Related words
speculator
noun
speculatively
adverb
Expressions
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.
Examples
- 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.
Examples
- 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.
Examples
- 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.
Examples
- 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.
Examples
- 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.
Examples
- 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.
Examples
- 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.
Examples
- 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.
Examples
- 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.
Examples
- 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.