noun · 13 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
California, Southern:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
Australian, New-Zealand:/ˌspek.jəˈlæɪ.ʃən/
rhymes with -eɪʃən
CMU ARPABET:S P EH2 K Y AH0 L EY1 SH AH0 N
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
The process or act of thinking or meditating on a subject.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
The act or process of reasoning a priori from premises given or assumed.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Topics: human-sciences, philosophy, sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
A conclusion to which the mind comes by speculating; mere theory; notion; conjecture.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
noun
Meaning 4
An investment involving higher-than-normal risk in order to obtain a higher-than-normal return.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Topics: business, finance
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: adventure
Antonyms: none provided
5
noun
Meaning 5
The act or practice of buying land, goods, shares, etc., in expectation of selling at a higher price, or of selling with the expectation of repurchasing at a lower price; a trading on anticipated fluctuations in price, as distinguished from trading in which the profit expected is the difference between the retail and wholesale prices, or the difference of price in different markets.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
6
noun
Meaning 6
A card game in which the players buy from one another trumps or whole hands, upon a chance of getting the highest trump dealt, which entitles the holder to the pool of stakes.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
7
noun
Meaning 7
The process of anticipating which branch of code will be chosen and executing it in advance.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
an investment that is very risky but could yield great profits
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
he knew the stock was a speculation when he bought it
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: venture
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: investment, investment funds
Narrower terms: gamble, smart money, pyramid
History
Etymology
From Middle English speculacioun, speculation, from Old French speculation (compare French spéculation), from Late Latin speculātiō, speculātiōnem, from Latin speculor. Morphologically speculate + -ion.
Across languages
Translations
71 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Bulgarian:
размишле́ние
(razmišlénie)
— process of thinking or meditation
Catalan:
especulació
— process of thinking or meditation
Finnish:
pohdinta
— process of thinking or meditation
Finnish:
mietiskely
— process of thinking or meditation
Finnish:
järkeily
— process of thinking or meditation
Finnish:
päättely
— process of thinking or meditation
Finnish:
spekulaatio
— process of thinking or meditation
French:
spéculation
— process of thinking or meditation
Māori:
kōrero takuahi
— process of thinking or meditation
Norwegian Bokmål:
spekulasjon
— process of thinking or meditation
Norwegian Nynorsk:
spekulasjon
— process of thinking or meditation
Polish:
spekulacja
— process of thinking or meditation
Portuguese:
especulação
— process of thinking or meditation
Russian:
размышле́ние
(razmyšlénije)
— process of thinking or meditation
Spanish:
especulación
— process of thinking or meditation
Finnish:
päättely
— philosophy: act or process of reasoning from premises given or assumed
Georgian:
სპეკულაცია
(sṗeḳulacia)
— philosophy: act or process of reasoning from premises given or assumed
German:
Spekulation
— philosophy: act or process of reasoning from premises given or assumed
German:
Betrachtung
— philosophy: act or process of reasoning from premises given or assumed
Polish:
spekulacja
— philosophy: act or process of reasoning from premises given or assumed
Ukrainian:
спекуля́ція
(spekuljácija)
— philosophy: act or process of reasoning from premises given or assumed
Arabic:
تَكَهُّنٌ
(takahhun)
— judgment or conclusion reached by speculating
Bulgarian:
предположе́ние
(predpoložénie)
— judgment or conclusion reached by speculating
Dutch:
giswerk
— judgment or conclusion reached by speculating
Dutch:
speculatie
— judgment or conclusion reached by speculating
Finnish:
johtopäätös
— judgment or conclusion reached by speculating
French:
spéculation
— judgment or conclusion reached by speculating
Georgian:
სპეკულაცია
(sṗeḳulacia)
— judgment or conclusion reached by speculating
German:
Spekulation
— judgment or conclusion reached by speculating
Indonesian:
spekulasi
— judgment or conclusion reached by speculating
Māori:
pūmāramarama
— judgment or conclusion reached by speculating
Māori:
kōrero takuahi
— judgment or conclusion reached by speculating
Portuguese:
especulação
— judgment or conclusion reached by speculating
Russian:
предположе́ние
(predpoložénije)
— judgment or conclusion reached by speculating
Spanish:
especulación
— judgment or conclusion reached by speculating
