failed hypothesis

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "failed hypothesis" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used in scientific or academic contexts to describe a hypothesis that has not been supported by experimental evidence or data. Example: "After conducting several experiments, we concluded that our initial theory was a failed hypothesis, as the results did not align with our predictions."

✓ Grammatically correct

Science

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

2 human-written examples

But, if the deduced consequences do not obtain, then we loop back to the abduction stage and come up with some new hypothesis that explains both our original surprising phenomenon and any new phenomena we have uncovered in the course of testing our first, and now failed, hypothesis.

SEP

In my 2007 book God: The Failed Hypothesis; How ScienceShows That God Does Not Exist, I applied the scientific process of hypothesis testing to the question of God.

Huffington Post

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

57 human-written examples

Three-quarters of the cost of developing a successful drug goes to paying for all the failed hypotheses and blind alleys pursued along the way.

The Economist

Science is grant writing and failed hypotheses and grad school and EndNote.

Science Magazine

What is not evident in the literature are the situations where there have been failed hypotheses resulting in a laboratory and scientific losses in terms of time, personnel and finance.

Brain Pathology

If they all would fail, the hypothesis would be falsified indeed.

Biology Direct

As soon as one of this hypothesis could not be established (i.e., the corresponding null-hypothesis failed to be rejected), all following hypotheses were interpreted as being purely exploratory and as not providing any confirmatory evidence.

BMC Pulmonary Medicine

She insisted that the savannah hypothesis failed because it couldn't account for the survival of females.

The Guardian

Yet, this hypothesis failed to explain the reason(s) for the recorded lower incidences of idiopathic anal fistula in females than in males.

Pathophysiology

Independent experiments to further test the pH hypothesis failed to generate support for the pH-mediated mechanism.

Plosone

However, this hypothesis failed to explain a large number of observations.

Cell

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When discussing research, be specific about why the "failed hypothesis" failed. Detail the experimental results or evidence that contradicted it.

Common error

Don't dismiss a "failed hypothesis" as a complete loss. It provides valuable information about what doesn't work, guiding future research and preventing repetition of unsuccessful approaches.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "failed hypothesis" functions as an adjective-noun combination, where the adjective 'failed' modifies the noun 'hypothesis'. It describes a hypothesis that has not been validated or supported by evidence. Ludwig AI confirms its usability in scientific and academic writing.

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

Science

60%

News & Media

30%

Formal & Business

10%

Less common in

Academia

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "failed hypothesis" is a grammatically correct and commonly used term, particularly in scientific and academic contexts. As Ludwig AI suggests, it effectively describes a hypothesis that has not been supported by evidence. While "failed hypothesis" is suitable, alternatives like "rejected hypothesis" or "unsupported hypothesis" may be used for stylistic variation. Remember to analyze why the "failed hypothesis" failed, and recognize that it still provides useful information for future research.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

unsupported hypothesis

Replaces "failed" with "unsupported", emphasizing the lack of evidence rather than outright failure.

disproven hypothesis

Uses "disproven" instead of "failed", indicating that the hypothesis has been actively shown to be false.

rejected hypothesis

Substitutes "failed" with "rejected", suggesting the hypothesis was tested and not accepted.

invalid hypothesis

Replaces "failed" with "invalid", meaning the hypothesis is not logically sound or based on flawed premises.

unconfirmed hypothesis

Uses "unconfirmed" instead of "failed", highlighting that the hypothesis has not yet been verified.

falsified hypothesis

Replaces "failed" with "falsified", indicating the hypothesis has been proven false through testing.

unsubstantiated hypothesis

Substitutes "failed" with "unsubstantiated", suggesting there is no evidence to support the hypothesis.

untenable hypothesis

Replaces "failed" with "untenable", meaning the hypothesis cannot be defended or maintained.

refuted hypothesis

Uses "refuted" instead of "failed", indicating the hypothesis has been successfully argued against.

inaccurate hypothesis

Replaces "failed" with "inaccurate", suggesting the hypothesis is not correct or precise.

FAQs

How to use "failed hypothesis" in a sentence?

You can use "failed hypothesis" to describe a theory that was not supported by evidence. For example, "The experiment demonstrated that the initial theory was a "failed hypothesis"".

What's a more formal alternative to "failed hypothesis"?

Alternatives such as "rejected hypothesis" or "unsupported hypothesis" can be used in more formal or academic writing contexts.

Is a "failed hypothesis" always incorrect?

Yes, a ""failed hypothesis"" indicates that the original prediction or explanation was not supported by the data or evidence gathered.

What do you do after a "failed hypothesis"?

After a ""failed hypothesis"", the next step is to analyze the data, revise the initial theory, and formulate a new hypothesis based on the new insights.