bracketology
noun
brack·et·ol·o·gy
ˌbra-kə-ˈtä-lə-jē 
variants
or less commonly Bracketology
plural bracketologies also Bracketologies
: the practice or study of predicting the participants in or outcomes of elimination tournaments or competitions especially in NCAA college basketball
Bracketology is a term … for predicting the participants and outcomes of the games in a sports tournament, especially the NCAA college basketball tournament.—
Mike Blake
Mike BlakeBut when his sport peaks during the N.C.A.A. men's tournament, he is … in an ESPN studio breathlessly dissecting bracketology.—New York Times
New York TimesESPN college basketball expert Joe Lunardi released his second bracketology projections Tuesday to give an indication on how the selection committee might feel on each team's tournament chances based on their resumes.—The Miami Herald
The Miami Herald
also
: a set of bracketology predictions
I swear I didn't do this on purpose, but Marquette ends up in pretty much the exact spot in my bracketology as it did last year. —Ryan Jackson
Ryan Jackson Cite this Entry
“Bracketology.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bracketology. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
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