postulate 1 of 2

noun

ˈpäs-chə-lət How to pronounce postulate (audio)
Definition of postulatenext
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

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postulate

2 of 2

verb

ˈpäs-chə-ˌlāt How to pronounce postulate (audio)
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

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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
Noun
Euclid’s postulates for geometry; various schemes for standardizing arithmetic. — Quanta Magazine, 29 Apr. 2026 That postulate would justify racial quotas or preferences to remedy racial discrimination uncorroborated by credible evidence. — Bruce Fein, Baltimore Sun, 5 Mar. 2026
Verb
Now, building on their previous research, the Curtin and Sheffield Hallam University scientists postulate that the movement of the altar stone may have involved a combination of human and glacial transport. — Anne Doran, ARTnews.com, 5 June 2026 There’s no point postulating a soul that might rise beyond the reach of artificial illumination, because the very vault of the Universe is inscribed with radiant diagrams. — Wyatt Williams, Harpers Magazine, 2 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for postulate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for postulate
  1. assumption
  2. say
  3. theory
  4. assume
  5. hypothesis
  6. presume
  7. believe
  8. hypothesize
Noun
  • Having produced one such number per participant, the standard approach then pools all of them into a group average, on the assumption that individual differences are noise that will be canceled out.
    — Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 10 Oct. 2026
  • Even if the wars do continue, the identities of both major parties are in flux—existing coalitions are shaky, and the tremors could lead to unexpectedly competitive races in seats drawn around outdated assumptions.
    — Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of assumption
Verb
  • Salkar said a medico-legal case had been opened and an autopsy would follow.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 8 Oct. 2026
  • India, Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh and the Philippines are among the countries that are most exposed to food security risk from the super El Niño and also face the highest risk of civil unrest due to rising prices, Verisk Maplecroft said.
    — Priyanka Salve, CNBC, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of say
Noun
  • Some universities have a long standing tradition of continually testing students’ ability to explain and rationalise their theories.
    — Reynald Fasciaux, Fortune, 8 Oct. 2026
  • The defense said the government’s theory is unsupported and urged the judge to dismiss the charges.
    — Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of theory
Verb
  • The North Central Municipal Accident Reconstruction Team responded to the scene and assumed the investigation, police said.
    — Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 4 Oct. 2026
  • If RatHat does make it onto a device, do not assume deleting the app solves the problem.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of assume
Noun
  • Among the results claimed are a solution to the four-dimensional Kakeya conjecture, improvements on some of the world’s most important computer algorithms, and actual progress toward math’s scariest problem, the Riemann hypothesis.
    — Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 6 Oct. 2026
  • The corroded terminal, the location, 30 seconds of video of the noise, the hypothesis that was ruled out.
    — Julien Vantyghem, Forbes.com, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of hypothesis
Verb
  • Right now, there are zero Black performers in Gold Derby’s presumed top five in each acting category.
    — Nate Jones, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2026
  • This particular set of remains—46 crania stored at Cambridge University—came from the Umm el-Qaab cemetery, which contains subsidiary burials presumed to be retainers of deceased First Dynasty rulers.
    — Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of presume
Verb
  • Lottie truly believes that armed with her diary and a plan for total re-invention, everything will go great and not be embarrassing at all.
    — Max Goldbart, Deadline, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Much of that sum—$250 million—comes from his contract with the Saudi Pro League’s Al Nassr, which is believed to be subsidized by commercial agreements orchestrated by the club.
    — Justin Birnbaum, Sportico.com, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of believe
Verb
  • The researchers had hypothesized that, in the mixing of fluids in large natural systems, turbulence generated by tiny organisms plays an underappreciated role.
    — Stephen Ornes, Quanta Magazine, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Certainly, the ancient Greeks appreciated symmetry and precision in their architecture; it’s even been hypothesized that this symmetry was considered divine and thus represented religious dedication to the space.
    — Emma Gometz, Scientific American, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of hypothesize

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Cite this Entry

“Postulate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/postulate. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

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