putative

adjective

pu·​ta·​tive ˈpyü-tə-tiv How to pronounce putative (audio)
1
: commonly accepted or supposed
2
: assumed to exist or to have existed
putatively adverb

Did you know?

There's no need to make assumptions about the root behind putative; scholars are quite certain the word comes from Latin putatus, the past participle of the verb putare, which means "to consider" or "to think." Putative has been part of English since the 15th century, and it often shows up in legal contexts. For instance, a "putative marriage" is one that is believed to be legal by at least one of the parties involved. When that trusting person finds out that their marriage is not sanctioned by law, other putare derivatives—such as dispute, reputed, imputation, and deputy—may come into play.

Did you know?

Putative: Always Before a Noun

Putative is almost always used in front of a noun, the modified noun being that which is assumed or supposed to be. The putative cause of a death, for example, is the one widely believed to have caused it, even when it hasn't been proven or made certain. However, one does not say "the cause was putative."

Examples of putative in a Sentence

This has always been a nation willing to sell out its past for putative progress. Anna Quindlen, Newsweek, 3 June 2002
The putative champions of liberty took up the cry of dissent only after it had become profitable and safe … Lewis H. Lapham, Harper's, June 2000
Back in Hollywood in a few weeks, I was discouraged to find yet another putative director wandering about in the Cowan offices, also unpaid. Arthur Miller, Timebends, 1987
the putative reason for her dismissal was poor job performance
Recent Examples on the Web How does all this relate to the putative peace-deal in Ukraine? Melik Kaylan, Forbes, 9 Oct. 2024 The radial-velocity technique—which is used to uncover these and many other possible worlds—can only set lower limits on any putative planet’s mass. John Wenz, Scientific American, 4 Oct. 2024 Hoffman limited the indictment to events that took place after Mayan Jaguar’s putative end. Penn Bullock, Rolling Stone, 25 Sep. 2024 The judge wrote that while Klayman’s case began as a putative class action, which at least in theory might have led to substantial damages, it is now brought only by Klayman and thus has a much smaller value. Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 10 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for putative 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'putative.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Late Latin putativus, from Latin putatus, past participle of putare to think

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of putative was in the 15th century

Podcast

Dictionary Entries Near putative

Cite this Entry

“Putative.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/putative. Accessed 3 Nov. 2024.

Legal Definition

putative

adjective
pu·​ta·​tive ˈpyü-tə-tiv How to pronounce putative (audio)
: thought, assumed, or alleged to be such or to exist
the child's putative father
ignorantly entered into a putative marriage before the divorce from a previous spouse was final
putatively adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on putative

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!