Both Uses of
conjecture
in
The Scarlet Letter
- As the light drew nearer, he beheld, within its illuminated circle, his brother clergyman—or, to speak more accurately, his professional father, as well as highly valued friend—the Reverend Mr. Wilson, who, as Mr. Dimmesdale now conjectured, had been praying at the bedside of some dying man.†
p. 101.1conjectured = concluded or guessed based on inconclusive evidence
- As regarded its origin there were various explanations, all of which must necessarily have been conjectural.†
p. 171.2 *conjectural = based on inconclusive evidence
Definition:
a conclusion or opinion based on inconclusive evidence; or the act of forming of such a conclusion or opinion
A conjecture can be widely believed, but the word is also frequently used to imply that evidence is insufficient to support a belief.