Theoretically

adv

adv ·6 syllables ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Adverb
  1. 1
    in theory; on paper not-comparable

    "I haven't tested it, but theoretically it ought to fly."

  2. 2
    in a theoretical manner not-comparable

    "I solved the problem theoretically rather than practically."

  3. 3
    in theory though not necessarily in reality. not-comparable

    "Rumors of an indictment had spread through this heavily gay and lesbian community since shortly after the theoretically secret investigation began in 1984."

Adverb
  1. 1
    in theory; according to the assumed facts wordnet
  2. 2
    in a theoretical manner wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms
ideallyin theoryon paperprinciple

Example

More examples

"Everything is theoretically impossible until it's done."

Etymology

From theoretical + -ly.

Related phrases

graph-theoreticallynumber-theoreticallyset theoreticallyset-theoreticallyon paper

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.