as in speculation
the act or process of finding an answer by guessing
This book takes the guesswork out of buying a home. Calculating the drug's long-term effects is pure guesswork.
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Recent Examples of guesswork
This fly rod outfit is basically a one-and-done kit for getting out on the water fast and takes the guesswork out of learning all the ins and outs of fly fishing gear.
—
Francesca Krempa, Outside, 23 Dec. 2025
And each guest gets to choose their own adventure, taking the guesswork out of accommodating various food preferences and appetites.
—Callie Sumlin, Bon Appetit Magazine, 18 Dec. 2025
Look 5 The Darong 2-piece Matching Set takes all the guesswork out of getting dressed for travel days.
—Chaise Sanders, Travel + Leisure, 12 Dec. 2025
Clear copy removes ambiguity, guiding interpretation rather than forcing guesswork.
—William Jones, USA Today, 4 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for guesswork
Recent Examples of Synonyms for guesswork
Noun
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Injuries, trade speculation, poor performances — the Devils were expected to return to Stanley Cup contender status this season and instead began Thursday morning in 13th place in the East, one spot in front of Ottawa.—
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Gentrification and a boom in real-estate speculation led to soaring values.—
Noun
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While our ape ancestors might well have been consuming naturally fermented alcohol for millions of years, only humans, with our powers of logical inference, have been able to refine the process.—
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Our work also helps explain how people make what psychologists call compensatory inferences.—
Noun
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There are no corrections of consequence in this new world, so a simple short-selling conjecture is too good to check out.—
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The Year in Computer Science Explore the year’s most surprising computational revelations, including a new fundamental relationship between time and space, an undergraduate who overthrew a 40-year-old conjecture, and the unexpectedly effortless triggers that can turn AI evil.—
Noun
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Those are, indeed, pat, credible theories and predictions.—
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But now, in the planet’s capital city of Apperax, a murder is committed with no suspects, forensics or theories.—
Cite this Entry
“Guesswork.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/guesswork. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.
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