General Opposites:
* Practice: This refers to the actual application or doing of something, as opposed to just the theoretical understanding.
* Reality: This emphasizes the actual existence or truth of something, contrasting with the theoretical or hypothetical.
* Fact: This suggests something demonstrably true, while a theory may be an explanation that is not yet fully proven.
* Empirical: This refers to knowledge gained through observation and experiment, contrasting with theoretical knowledge.
Specific to Science:
* Law: A scientific law is a well-established and consistently observed relationship, often considered more definite than a theory.
* Observation: This emphasizes the direct experience and data gathering that informs a theory.
Other Considerations:
* Hypothesis: While a hypothesis is a proposed explanation, it is often a smaller, more specific idea than a theory.
* Speculation: This can refer to an idea that is based on limited evidence or is considered to be less certain than a theory.
Important Note: The word "theory" in common usage can sometimes be confused with "guess" or "opinion." A scientific theory, however, is a well-supported explanation that has been repeatedly tested and confirmed through evidence. So, depending on the context, the "opposite" of theory could be closer to something like "uninformed guess" or "unsubstantiated claim."