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theory

theory

3.2
An idea or group of ideas that explains facts in science
  • noun
  • /ˈθiːəri/
translation icon : teoría
  • According to the theory, evolution is driven by natural selection.
  • theory and practice
  • literary theory
  • social theory

And I think next lecture is on Huckel theory, OK.

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Examples

  • Ensure the course is not just a theory-based module and that clinical, practical support is available.

    Academic text (2011)
  • And that theory has proven to be correct.

  • When you write down the theory, the theory then becomes your teacher.

  • I told her your theory about the Queen of the Dead.

  • For the sociology of sport to advance, a theory of sport needs to be developed.

    Academic text (1999)
  • What is your preferred theory for muscular growth?

  • The irony is that basic economic theory and practical experience predicted this would happen.

    Academic text (2011)
  • Respondents were asked to identify theories and models of management that influenced their administrative activities.

    Academic text (2011)
  • The student summarized her experience in relation to chaos theory and adaptation theory as follows:

    Academic text (2011)
  • The scientist presented a new theory that explains the behavior of black holes.

Synonyms

construct
vstheory
  • Specialized
65 8.0

An abstract idea people use to explain observations or data

is a wider explanatory idea that covers facts or events beyond inferred models
scientific theory
vstheory
  • Specialized
15 4.2

A tested explanation of how nature works, supported by many experiments and facts

is a general set of ideas explaining facts or events in science
theoretical account
vstheory
  • Formal
8.2

An idea that explains how something works in science or research

is a broader set of ideas used to explain facts rather than only hypotheses

Antonyms

1.0

Something that can be shown to be true, not an opinion

Idioms

69 4.9

According to an idea or rule, but not always true in real life

Compounds

string theory
  • Specialized
63 8.8

An idea that tiny vibrating strings make different particles and forces

Belief that secret groups control events without real proof

scientific theory
  • Specialized
15 4.2

A tested explanation of how nature works, supported by many experiments and facts

theory of evolution
  • Specialized
14 3.9

The idea that living things change over time by natural selection

theory of relativity
  • Specialized
12 6.7

A scientific idea that space and time are linked and change with motion and gravity

economic theory
  • Specialized
11 4.7

A set of ideas that explain how goods, services, and money move in an economy

game theory
  • Specialized
7 5.6

Study of how people choose actions when they compete or cooperate

quantum theory
  • Specialized
7 7.4

A theory in physics that says some things like energy exist only as small, separate amounts

theory of everything
  • Specialized
5 9.9

A single idea that explains all forces and matter in the universe

political theory
  • Specialized
5 5.1

A set of ideas about how a country or society should be governed

Big Bang theory
  • Specialized
4 4.1

An idea that the universe began when a hot, very dense point expanded quickly

theory of gravity
  • Specialized
4 3.7

An idea that all objects pull on each other, more when they are heavier and closer

field theory
  • Specialized
3 8.3

An idea in physics that explains forces and particles as things spread through space and time, like gravity or electricity

3 6.8

A scientific idea that says gravity happens because space and time bend

A scientific idea that says space and time change depending on speed and gravity

probability theory
  • Specialized
3 5.0

Part of math that studies chance and random events

domino theory
  • Archaic
2 6.6

The political belief that if one country becomes communist, nearby countries will fall like dominoes

germ theory
  • Specialized
1 4.0

An idea that infectious diseases are caused by tiny organisms like bacteria or viruses

information theory
  • Specialized
1 4.9

Study of how to measure, store, and send information with little loss

set theory
  • Specialized
1 7.6

The study of sets, groups of things, and how they relate

A theory by Albert Einstein that explains gravity as the bending of space and time

atomic theory
  • Specialized
1 3.6

A scientific idea that all matter is made of tiny particles called atoms

An idea most experts do not accept and that has little evidence

relativity theory
  • Specialized
1 6.5

A scientific idea by Einstein that space and time depend on how fast something moves

1 6.1

A scientific idea that space and time change with speed and that light has the same speed for all observers

communication theory
  • Specialized
1 5.7

Study of how people send and receive messages through media like newspapers, radio and television

gravitational theory
  • Specialized
1 4.8

A scientific idea that objects with mass pull on each other more strongly when they are heavier and closer

group theory
  • Specialized
1 7.4

A part of math that studies how things combine and their rules

quantum field theory
  • Specialized
1 8.2

A branch of physics explaining how very small particles and fields interact

theory of probability
  • Specialized
1 5.5

A part of math that studies chance and how likely events are

sociological theory
  • Specialized
1 6.6

An idea that explains patterns in how people live and act in society

wave theory
  • Specialized
1 5.6

The idea that light and energy move as waves rather than particles

big-bang theory
  • Specialized
3.7

A scientific idea that the universe began in a huge explosion from one tiny hot point and is still expanding

Bohr theory
  • Specialized
7.8

A theory saying electrons orbit the nucleus in fixed energy levels and give off light when they change energy

bosonic string theory
  • Specialized
9.9

An early form of string theory that describes only bosons, a type of particle, and needs 26 dimensions

cell theory
  • Specialized
4.0

An idea that says cells make up all living things

coincidence theory
  • Specialized
9.9

Study of events that look random but show hidden patterns

An idea that new matter is created so the universe keeps the same density as it expands

9.9

A theory that light is made of tiny particles

The idea that light is a stream of tiny particles rather than a wave

A 1905 Einstein theory saying time and space change because light's speed is always the same

Acids break into hydrogen ions and bases into hydroxide ions in water, forming salt and water

7.0

The idea that the mind works by linking ideas or past experiences

atomistic theory
  • Specialized
8.6

A theory that says all matter is made of very small parts called atoms

atomist theory
  • Specialized
8.4

A theory that says all matter is made of tiny particles that cannot be divided called atoms

estimation theory
  • Specialized
6.0

A field that studies how to find out about a group or process from data

kinetic theory
  • Specialized
6.3

An idea in physics that gases are made of tiny moving particles that cause pressure and temperature

4.6

An idea that explains gases as made of tiny particles moving in all directions

6.7

The idea that temperature goes up when particles move faster

9.9

Population often grows faster than food and other resources, causing shortages

moonbat theory
  • Offensive
9.9

A strange idea that is unlikely and has no proof

Galois theory
  • Specialized
9.9

A part of algebra that uses symmetry to study when polynomial equations can be solved

8.1

Explains gravity as the bending of space and time by heavy objects

holistic theory
  • Specialized
7.0

The idea that parts must be seen together to understand the whole

A scientific theory saying any two objects pull each other more if heavier and less as they get farther apart

Substances that are weak acids or bases and that have charged and uncharged forms with different colors

A set of ideas about life, knowledge, or right and wrong that people accept and follow

plate tectonic theory
  • Specialized
4.8

A scientific idea that Earth's outer layer of rock moves in large plates and causes earthquakes, volcanoes and mountains

systems theory
  • Specialized
6.6

A way of studying groups of parts that work together in many fields

6.8

An explanation of how acids and bases split into charged particles in water

A chemistry idea that acids, bases, and salts split into charged particles in water

theory of games
  • Specialized
6.8

Study of how people choose actions when each choice affects others

theory of gravitation
  • Specialized
5.0

A scientific idea about how objects pull each other, with larger objects pulling more and pull weakening with distance

Long periods of little change followed by short, fast bursts of new species forming

7.9

A scientific idea that explains the weak force that makes some atoms change into other atoms

theory of indicators
  • Specialized
7.5

A rule that explains why dyes used to show acid or base change color when their two forms look different

theory of inheritance
  • Specialized
4.8

A scientific idea that explains how traits pass from parents to children in living things

4.8

A scientific idea that living things slowly change and share common ancestors

A wrong idea that a tiny fully formed body in an egg or sperm just grows bigger

7.3

A physics idea that light moves at the same speed and time and space change for moving people

8.3

An idea that the universe stays the same overall because new matter is made as galaxies move apart

9.9

A scientific idea that light travels as waves rather than particles

wave theory of light
  • Specialized
4.9

A scientific idea that light moves as waves and makes bright and dark patterns

How Established

law
  • Specialized
206 5.0
theory
3.2
hypothesis
138 6.1
idea
1.0
speculation
288 4.8

Surface Forms

theory singular
theories plural

Morphology

theory = theor + y

The stem 'theor-' is a borrowed combining form (not a standalone English word) and the meaning cannot be reliably derived by learners from the visible parts.

Etymology

Theory comes from the Greek word theoria, which means 'a viewing' and is related to theatre, a place to watch. So a theory is like a careful 'way of looking' at facts to explain them.