conceptually
conceptually — adverb
1. from the point of view of the underlying ideas or principles behind something, r
from the point of view of the underlying ideas or principles behind something, rather than how it looks or how it works in practice.
Conceptually, the two paintings by Ayana explore the same theme of memory.
sentence-initial 'Conceptually,' framing a comparison
The new tax law is conceptually simple, but very hard to apply in real cases.
conceptually + adjective contrasting idea vs practice
Mert argued that the two schools of philosophy are conceptually very close.
Élise told the team that the design is conceptually finished, even though the code is not.
Rohan and Paloma showed how the two theories differ conceptually but give the same results.
- theoretically
more about formal theory and prediction; 'conceptually' is about the underlying idea or design
- in theory
informal phrasing; same contrast with practice
- in principle
stresses an agreed rule or core idea, often used before practical details
- practically
from the point of view of real use, not ideas
- in practice
describes what actually happens, not what is intended
文法句型
conceptually + adjective
conceptually, + clause
用法筆記
Often sentence-initial as a framing adverb ('Conceptually, X is …'), or directly modifying an adjective ('conceptually simple', 'conceptually clear'). Common contrast with 'in practice' or 'technically'.
常見錯誤
conceptually — adjective
1. of, or made up of, mental ideas rather than physical things — used mostly in aca
of, or made up of, mental ideas rather than physical things — used mostly in academic or specialist writing.
Jin presented a conceptually rich model of how children learn new words.
conceptually + adjective (rich) modifying a noun — academic register
The professor said Sirin's essay was conceptually strong but weak on data.
conceptually strong / weak — common academic pairing
Evelyn's research is conceptually grounded in social psychology.
Sivan's design is conceptually bold, though some judges found it hard to grasp.
- abstract
more about being non-physical; 'conceptual' stresses being built from ideas
- theoretical
tied to formal theories; broader and more common in everyday writing
文法句型
conceptually + noun (rare; usually only in academic phrasing)
用法筆記
In real corpus use this adjective sense almost always surfaces as the adverb 'conceptually' modifying another adjective ('conceptually rich', 'conceptually strong'). A pure attributive use ('a conceptual model') normally uses the related adjective 'conceptual', not 'conceptually'.