presumptive
adjective
pre·sump·tive
pri-ˈzəm(p)-tiv 
1
: based on probability or presumption
the presumptive nominee/winner
see also heir presumptive
2
: giving grounds for reasonable opinion or belief
A blood alcohol concentration of 0.08 percent is considered presumptive evidence of drunken driving in Louisiana for those 21 and older.—
Joe Gyan Jr.
Joe Gyan Jr.He was admitted to the hospital with a presumptive diagnosis of cellulitis.—Mary Jo Bonner
Mary Jo Bonner… health departments in 20 states reported 100 presumptive or confirmed human cases of arboviral disease …—The Journal of the American Medical Association
The Journal of the American Medical Association3
: being an embryonic precursor with the potential for forming a particular structure or tissue in the normal course of development
presumptive retina
presumptively
adverb
Examples of presumptive in a Sentence
in that climate of fear, an accusation alone was presumptive evidence of guilt
Recent Examples on the Web
At practice on Tuesday, Pettersson skated alongside Marcus Pettersson (with Myers mixing in as an extra), while Mancini skated with Forbort, and Willander was on a presumptive fourth defence pair with Pierre-Olivier Joseph.
—Thomas Drance, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
No doubt there were many reasons the Chiefs woke up the echoes and restored a certain sense of order on Sunday with a 37-20 clobbering of visiting Baltimore, a presumptive rival for the AFC berth in the Super Bowl.
—Kansas City Star, 29 Sep. 2025
There’s another clarifying takeaway: as long as Trump continues to abuse his executive power with the presumptive backing of the legislature and the Supreme Court, the titans of American capitalism can’t be relied on to push back against him.
—John Cassidy, New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2025
In Thursday’s Day One practice, Arvidsson took the injured Pastrnak’s place on the presumptive top line with Morgan Geekie and Elias Lindholm.
—Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 19 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for presumptive
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Thomas Drance, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
No doubt there were many reasons the Chiefs woke up the echoes and restored a certain sense of order on Sunday with a 37-20 clobbering of visiting Baltimore, a presumptive rival for the AFC berth in the Super Bowl.
—Kansas City Star, 29 Sep. 2025
There’s another clarifying takeaway: as long as Trump continues to abuse his executive power with the presumptive backing of the legislature and the Supreme Court, the titans of American capitalism can’t be relied on to push back against him.
—John Cassidy, New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2025
In Thursday’s Day One practice, Arvidsson took the injured Pastrnak’s place on the presumptive top line with Morgan Geekie and Elias Lindholm.
—Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 19 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for presumptive
Cite this Entry
“Presumptive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/presumptive. Accessed 14 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
presumptive
adjective
pre·sump·tive
pri-ˈzəm(p)-tiv
1
: expected to develop in a particular direction under normal conditions
presumptive regions of the blastula
2
: being the embryonic precursor of
presumptive neural tissue
3
: giving grounds for reasonable opinion
a presumptive diagnosis of dengue
presumptive or confirmed cases of communicable disease
Legal Definition
presumptive
adjective
pre·sump·tive
pri-ˈzəmp-tiv
1
: based on presumption : presumed to have occurred
a presumptive violation of law
2
: giving grounds for reasonable opinion or belief
presumptively
adverb
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