Terms like “theoretically” or “in theory” are over used, and often used inappropriately Most of the time, the term “hypothetically” is a more appropriate term for what they mean. For example, people say things like “I have a theory that…”, when it would be more appropriate to say “I have a hypothesis that…”
My question is, when is it *actually* appropriate to use a phrase like “in theory” or “theoretically”? Please give an example when you answer.
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In common language, you can use it interchangeably with “supposedly,” but it carries with it a bit more of the “supposed to” meaning, since “supposedly” has adopted a more cynical connotation.
“In theory, this wiring job should work…” meaning I think it’s going to work, but I’m allowing a strong chance of failure due to unknown factors (hence the “theory”).
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