(an explanation of) the general principles of an art or science; a reasoned account offered to explain facts or events; an opinion or idea that is not necessary based on known facts or reasoning
hypothesis, belief
Cases of word usage
1) the political theory that organized government and laws are undesirable (anarchism)
2) to give support go certainty to (a statement, belief, theory etc) (corroborate)
3) to arrive at (knowledge, a theory etc) by reasoning (deduce)
4) the theory that our actions are always caused by the desire to benefit ourselves (egoism)
5) relying on observation and experiment, not on theory (empirical)
6) to give one's support to (a cause, theory etc) (espouse)
7) (the belief in) the main theory of Karl Marx (1818 - 1883) that social and political changes are caused by a struggle between social classes and that socialism will eventually replace capitalism (marxism)
8) a stem or branch growing from a main stem; a branch (of a family, theory etc) (offshoot)
9) concerning pantheism ( = (the belief in) the theory that God is in everything and that everything is God) (pantheist)
10) concerned with useful results, the possibility of actually being done (and not theory or principles) (pragmatic)
