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theoretical account

theoretical account

8.2
An idea that explains how something works in science or research
  • noun
  • Formal
translation icon : explicación teórica
  • The researcher presented a theoretical account of how language acquisition occurs during early childhood.
  • provide a theoretical account
  • theoretical account of language

Examples

  • School leaders and university faculty produced theoretical accounts of learning disabilities and service provision.

    Academic text (2011)
  • Consider the feeling of "transport" described in theoretical accounts of the experience of the sublime, or the "roving" movements of fancy.

    Academic text (2017)
  • I will attempt neither a review of empirical studies of gender differences nor a theoretical account of gender and human nature.

    Academic text (1994)
  • Both social scientific and feminist theoretical accounts are limited by the neglect of issues of class difference.

    Academic text (1998)
  • What is valuable, then, is precisely what is absent from many theoretical accounts of autonomy: concrete particulars.

    Academic text (2016)
  • More contentious, however, remains the issue of the relation of any critical theoretical account of women's experience to feminist practice and politics.

    Academic text (2001)
  • The concept of self-monitoring disturbance thus provides a necessary but not sufficient theoretical account of how hallucinations are generated.

    Academic text (1999)
  • In his theoretical account, Jonas shows that the principled-pragmatic distinction regarding precaution does not hold up.

    Academic text (2013)
  • By evaluating these relationships in 19 patients, we aimed to conceptualize a theoretical account of bilingual language processing.

    Academic text (2013)
  • The first three correspond to the theoretical accounts of law advanced by H.L.A. Hart, Joseph Raz, and Scott Shapiro.

    Academic text (2017)

Synonyms

theory
vstheoretical account
3.2

An idea or group of ideas that explains facts in science

is a specific academic description that focuses on hypothetical structure
explanation
vstheoretical account
1.0

A statement that makes something clear or helps someone understand

is a formal, hypothetical description used mainly in academic or scientific contexts
model
vstheoretical account
  • Specialized
905 3.9

A small copy of a real thing used to show or study it

is an academic conceptual description that emphasizes hypothetical structure and operation
framework
vstheoretical account
175 4.2

A set of ideas and rules that helps people plan and understand something

is a focused academic description centering on hypothetical structure and its workings

How Theoretical

theoretical account
  • Formal
8.2
to account
253 3.4

Surface Forms

Morphology

theoretical + account

The phrase is a straightforward adjectival modification: 'theoretical' (principles/hypothetical) + 'account' (description/explanation) yields 'an explanation given in theoretical terms', so the meaning is directly compositional. This adjective+noun pattern is common across languages and follows regular English grammar, so a B1 learner who knows both words should be able to infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

The phrase theoretical account brings together theoretical (based on ideas) and account ('a story' or explanation). Imagine someone giving a careful 'story' made from ideas rather than from real tests, so a theoretical account means an explanation or model that helps you understand something in idea form, not yet proved.