Certainty and Doubt - Assessment and Speculation

Here you will learn some English words related to assessment and speculation, such as "surmise", "underestimate", and "predict".

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to [miss] the mark [phrase]

to fail in achieving the desired result

Ex: Their efforts to improve quality have somewhat missed the mark .

notional [adjective]

being solely based on imagination or theory rather that reality

Ex: They discussed a notional budget for the project , which was not yet finalized .

off the mark [phrase]

wrong and inaccurate

Ex: His criticisms are way off the mark .

off the top of {one's} head [phrase]

from one's memory, without spending time to carefully consider or think

Ex: Just off the top of my head , I ’d say there were about 50 .

to overrate [verb]

to give something or someone more credit than is deserved

Ex: She realized she had overrated the difficulty of the exam after scoring well .

to predict [verb]

to say that something is going to happen before it actually takes place

Ex: He predicted the success of the business venture based on market analysis .

prediction [noun]

the act of saying what one thinks is going to happen in the future or what the outcome of something will be

Ex: The company ’s prediction for next year ’s profits is optimistic .

to [put] two and two together [phrase]

to evaluate the situation and all its possible outcomes in order to draw a conclusion

Ex: When she canceled our plans and seemed distant , I put two and two together and realized something was wrong .

to reappraise [verb]

to review someone or something to see whether one's opinion was correct or not

to reassess [verb]

to put something under further consideration or evaluation

reassessment [noun]

the reevaluation someone or reconsideration of one's opinion of something to see whether it needs revising

to reevaluate [verb]

to reconsider something, especially with the intention to make changes or form another opinion about it

to reexamine [verb]

to inspect something in detail, especially to confirm or change the previously held opinion

to [read] {one's} (mind|thoughts) [phrase]

to know what another person is thinking

Ex: Tell me what you want — I ca n't read your mind !

re-evaluation [noun]

‌the act of reconsidering something, especially with the intention to make changes or form another opinion about it

re-examination [noun]

a process that involves detailed inspection of something, especially to confirm or change the previously held opinion

to second-guess [verb]

to predict or anticipate an event or someone's reaction

Ex:

(shot|stab) in the dark [phrase]

an attempt to guess or do something without having sufficient information or knowing the consequences

Ex: His guess about the password was a stab in the dark , but miraculously , he got it right .

to speculate [verb]

to form a theory or opinion about a subject without knowing all the facts

Ex: When the stock prices suddenly dropped , investors started to speculate on the reasons for the market downturn .

speculation [noun]

the creation of theories or opinions about something with no fact or proof

Ex: He engaged in speculation about the reasons behind the sudden policy change .

speculative [adjective]

according to opinions or guesses instead of facts or evidence

Ex: The proposal was rejected due to its speculative nature , lacking feasibility studies or supporting evidence .

speculatively [adverb]

in a way that shows one's decisions are merely based on estimations or personal opinions rather than actual facts

to surmise [verb]

to come to a conclusion without enough evidence

Ex: Finding the office empty , she surmised that the meeting had been rescheduled without prior notice .

surmise [noun]

an idea or conclusion formed on the basis of limited or uncertain evidence

Ex: Without full data , her report remained largely a surmise .

to suspect [verb]

to think that something is probably true, especially something bad, without having proof

Ex: Considering the clouds on the horizon , I suspect it might rain this afternoon .

to suppose [verb]

to think or believe that something is possible or true, without being sure

Ex: I suppose the project will be completed on time if everyone stays on track .

supposition [noun]

an idea accepted as true without proof, often used as a basis for reasoning

Ex: That 's a risky supposition — we do n't know if the data is accurate .

to survey [verb]

to take a closer look at something, especially thoroughly in order to investigate

Ex:

survey [noun]

a collection of opinions or experiences from a specific group, typically gathered via questions

Ex: The survey results showed strong support for the policy .

ten out of ten [phrase]

used to describe something perfect, flawless, or highly impressive

Ex:

to toss [verb]

to make a decision by throwing a coin in the air and guessing which of its sides will be facing upward when it lands

Ex: We could n't pick between the two options , so we tossed a coin and let chance decide .

to underestimate [verb]

to regard something or someone as smaller or less important than they really are

Ex: It 's easy to underestimate the impact of climate change until you see its effects firsthand .

underestimation [noun]

an unfavorable judgment or estimation that is too low

value judgement [noun]

an assessment of the worth or quality of someone or something that is mostly based on personal opinions rather than facts

warm [adjective]

indicating that someone is getting closer to the correct answer or finding a hidden person or object

Ex: In the Easter egg hunt , her friends told her she was warm whenever she neared an egg .

Certainty and Doubt
Certainty and Assurance	Confidence and Surety	Certainty and Confidence	Doubt
Uncertainty	Possibility and Probability	Assessment and Estimation	Evaluation and Speculation
Assessment and Speculation