theoretical

English

Etymology

From Middle English theorothycall, probably from Latin theōrēticus + -al, from Ancient Greek θεωρητικός (theōrētikós).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˌθɪəˈɹɛtɪkəl/, [ˌθɪə̯ˈɹɛt.ɪ.kl̩]
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˌθi.əˈɹɛt.ɪ.kəl/, [ˌθi.əˈɹɛɾ.ɪ.kl̩]

  • Audio (US):

    (file)

• (General Australian) IPA^(key): /ˌθiːˈɹet.ɪ.kəl/, [ˌθiːˈɹet.ɪ.kl̩]

Adjective

theoretical (comparative more theoretical, superlative most theoretical)

1. Of or relating to theory; abstract; not empirical.

   Antonym: practical

   • 1907, Aerodynamics, constituting the first volume of a complete work on aerial flight, page 163:

     We may look upon this figure as representing in section a theoretical wing-form, or aerofoil

Derived terms

• antitheoretical
• atheoretical
• ecotheoretical
• game-theoretical
• graph-theoretical
• group theoretical
• hypertheoretical
• intertheoretical
• intratheoretical
• macrotheoretical
• metatheoretical
• microtheoretical
• nontheoretical
• number-theoretical
• optimality theoretical
• pre-theoretical
• pretheoretical
• psychotheoretical
• queer theoretical
• ring theoretical
• ring-theoretical
• set-theoretical
• theoreticalism
• theoreticality
• theoretical key
• theoretically
• theoreticalness
• theoretical oxygen demand
• theoretical physicist
• theoretical physics
• theoretical plate
• theoretical probability
• theozyme
• transtheoretical
• untheoretical

Translations

of or relating to theory

• Arabic: نَظَرِيّ (naẓariyy)
• Armenian: տեսական (hy) (tesakan)
• Asturian: teóricu
• Belarusian: тэарэты́чны (tearetýčny), акадэмі́чны (akademíčny)
• Catalan: teòric (ca)
• Czech: teoretický (cs)
• Danish: teoretisk
• Dutch: theoretisch (nl)
• Esperanto: teoria (eo)
• Estonian: teoreetiline
• Faroese: ástøðiligur
• Finnish: teoreettinen (fi)
• French: théorique (fr)
• Galician: teórico (gl)
• German: theoretisch (de)
• Greek: θεωρητικός (el) (theoritikós)
• Hindi: इल्मी (ilmī), सैद्धांतिक (hi) (saiddhāntik), सैद्धान्तिक (hi) (saiddhāntik)
• Hungarian: elméleti (hu)
• Ido: teoriala (io)
• Indonesian: teoretis (id)
• Irish: teoiriciúil
• Italian: teorico (it)
• Latin: doctrīnālis
• Latvian: teorētisks
• Macedonian: теоре́тски (teorétski)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: teoretisk (no)

  Nynorsk: teoretisk

• Persian: تئوریک (fa) (te'orik)
• Polish: teoretyczny (pl)
• Portuguese: teórico (pt)
• Romanian: teoretic (ro), teoric (dated)
• Russian: теорети́ческий (ru) (teoretíčeskij), академи́чный (ru) (akademíčnyj)
• Serbo-Croatian: please add this translation if you can
• Slovene: teorétičen
• Spanish: teórico (es)
• Swedish: teoretisk (sv)
• Turkish: teorik (tr), kuramsal (tr)
• Ukrainian: теорети́чний (teoretýčnyj)
• Urdu: علمی (ur)
• Volapük: teorik (vo), teorodik