postulates 1 of 2

noun

plural of postulate
as in assumptions
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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postulates

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of postulate
as in assumes
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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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 postulates
Noun
Not really Dagmar Bruss, professor and Head of the Quantum Information Theory group at HHU, and her doctoral researcher, Pedro Barrios Hita, conducted a new analysis of the postulates used in the 2021 paper and found one to be too restrictive. — Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 22 June 2026 Another postulates that sleep removes waste from the brain. — Shayla Love, New Yorker, 18 Feb. 2026
Verb
One of the theories postulates that the ribbon represents a group of particles that somehow leaked from the heliosphere and bounced around interstellar space before returning to the Solar System. — Kyle Orland, ArsTechnica, 24 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for postulates
  1. assumptions
  2. assumes
  3. theories
  4. says
  5. hypotheses
  6. presumes
  7. believes
  8. hypothesizes
Noun
  • Li said conducting the study in that timeline was based on assumptions RT made about the success of a citizen ballot measure and the timing of a Caltrans project that have both since fallen through.
    — Madison Smalstig, Sacbee.com, 30 Oct. 2026
  • This also means assumptions and perception, rather than reality, will often win out.
    — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of assumptions
Verb
  • Castro assumes his role at a time of uncertainty for the 2027 baseball season, with a lockout looking increasingly likely and the annual Winter Meetings in December potentially subject to cancellation.
    — Graham Womack, Sacbee.com, 4 Nov. 2026
  • Evercore's middle scenario assumes a divided Congress, an undisputed election and no military escalation in Iran, putting the year-end S & P 500 target at 7,750, a little less than 3% above Monday's close.
    — Paulina Likos, CNBC, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of assumes
Noun
  • The gist of the theories, Rothschild said, is that a secret plot is underway to reset the global financial system.
    — Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 3 Nov. 2026
  • The podcaster Candace Owens drove those theories, infuriating her former employer, Daily Wire founder Ben Shapiro.
    — Max Tani, semafor.com, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of theories
Verb
  • Cleveland Clinic says some early research is encouraging, but black garlic isn’t medicine and shouldn’t replace any treatment your doctor recommends.
    — Ryan Brennan, Kansas City Star, 3 Nov. 2026
  • OpenAI says Pando has reduced median Git push latency by nearly 80 percent.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of says
Noun
  • Solving identity at scale means evaluating competing hypotheses across candidate entities simultaneously.
    — Filip Popovic, Forbes.com, 30 Oct. 2026
  • Here’s how psychiatrists like me think about the most promising hypotheses.
    — Awais Aftab, New York Times, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of hypotheses
Verb
  • In David’s 1996 novel Absolute Power, an American president presumes himself to be above the rule of law and seeks to force his underlings to commit criminal acts that will benefit him.
    — David Baldacci, Vanity Fair, 3 Nov. 2026
  • For example, the law presumes that coordination is taking place if a candidate’s family member is running an independent expenditure committee supporting that same candidate.
    — David Zahniser, Los Angeles Times, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of presumes
Verb
  • Larter believes engineers could develop similar mechanisms for hundreds of ordnance types.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 31 Oct. 2026
  • Without a clear owner, those recommendations circulate and generate input, and often the leader believes the recommendations turn into action.
    — Maureen Metcalf, Forbes.com, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of believes
Verb
  • The club was found in a living area, next to bones, stone tools, and a hearth, so the team hypothesizes it’s been used for everyday work rather than ceremony.
    — Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 9 Oct. 2026
  • The new study, however, hypothesizes that shell direction is not itself an adaptive response, but rather is an accidental marker of a significant evolutionary event that starts in a small subpopulation and then sweeps across vast ocean basins.
    — Quanta Magazine, Quanta Magazine, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of hypothesizes

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Cite this Entry

“Postulates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/postulates. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

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