as in assumption
something taken as being true or factual and used as a starting point for a course of action or reasoning
one of the postulates that the true agnostic rejects is the assumption that it is even possible for us to know whether God exists
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in to say
to take as true or as a fact without actual proof
postulates that all people are born with certain rights that can never be taken away from them
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of postulate
New Atlas, 21 Aug. 2025
Now, tangible results have emerged in a field replete with postulates and presumptions.
—Jenna Ahart, Quanta Magazine, 2 July 2025
Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 1 Feb. 2026
Fluorescence microscopy—a biologist’s window into the cell—had hit the diffraction limit of about 200 nanometers (or roughly half the wavelength of visible light), which had been postulated a century earlier by physicist Ernst Abbe.
—IEEE Spectrum, 13 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for postulate
Noun
The reason, the authors of a new study postulate, has to do with light pollution.
—New Atlas, 21 Aug. 2025
Now, tangible results have emerged in a field replete with postulates and presumptions.
—Jenna Ahart, Quanta Magazine, 2 July 2025
Verb
Though archaeologists haven’t confirmed any of the theories, some have postulated a symbolic function, a site of initiation rituals, or spiritual retreats.
—Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 1 Feb. 2026
Fluorescence microscopy—a biologist’s window into the cell—had hit the diffraction limit of about 200 nanometers (or roughly half the wavelength of visible light), which had been postulated a century earlier by physicist Ernst Abbe.
—IEEE Spectrum, 13 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for postulate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for postulate
Noun
-
In a Wednesday news conference, Mayor Brandon Scott offered his condolences to Oduor’s family and encouraged residents to wait for the results of the full police investigation before making assumptions about what could have prevented Oduor’s death.—
Lily Carey,
Baltimore Sun,
15 Apr. 2026
-
The assumption was that hardware mattered most.—
J. Kyle Foster,
USA Today,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Horwitz says the funds could increase teacher pay by as much as 5%, but they will also be used to provide more specialists and smaller class sizes.—
Chierstin Roth,
CBS News,
13 Apr. 2026
-
Bartek, who rents three-quarters of his land, said landowners are increasing rents, causing further financial strain.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
13 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
An alternative theory is that Vermeer employed one of his daughters, Maria, as the model.—
Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 2026
-
Nichols was ready to share with jurors his theory of what happened to Kim Langwell the evening she was murdered.—
Peter Van Sant,
CBS News,
12 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Lyons later assumed leadership roles at ICE headquarters, including as the assistant director for field operations at ICE's deportation branch, Enforcement and Removal Operations.—
Camilo Montoya-Galvez,
CBS News,
16 Apr. 2026
-
If the opening feels uncertain, readers assume the rest will be off track, too.—
JD Barker,
Rolling Stone,
16 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Then a perusal of several studies that spanned decades and oceans made my hypothesis cloudy enough to blot out that April Fools’ Day moon.—
Doug Turnbull,
AJC.com,
12 Apr. 2026
-
Even as a unifying hypothesis was forming, the disease remained an enigma.—
Courtney Crowder,
USA Today,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
What happens next Authorities emphasize that the charges are allegations, and Mance is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.—
Zachary Bynum,
CBS News,
14 Apr. 2026
-
But that presumes past voting patterns hold in November.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Detectives believe Rodriguez took the man's body, drove nearly 100 miles away to Highland and dumped the man's body in the road.—
Matthew Rodriguez,
CBS News,
12 Apr. 2026
-
The islands are home to a very conservative branch of Calvinism which believes deeply in the Sabbath.—
Cressida Leyshon,
New Yorker,
12 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Because the Cambrian fossil record preserves so much animal diversity, scientists have long hypothesized that complex animal life didn’t yet exist during the Ediacaran.—
Mindy Weisberger,
CNN Money,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Older respondents tended to experience more euphoria than younger ones, which the authors hypothesized could be related to better access to resources like health care.—
Theresa Gaffney,
STAT,
31 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Postulate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/postulate. Accessed 18 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
