putative

adjective

ˈpyü-tə-tiv How to pronounce putative (audio)
Definition of putativenext
as in apparent
appearing to be true on the basis of evidence that may or may not be confirmed the putative reason for her dismissal was poor job performance

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 putative Once in office, Nixon deployed Vice President Spiro Agnew to verbally assault journalists for their putative bias and elitism. — Heather Hendershot, The Conversation, 31 July 2026 Neither the ministry nor the official who spoke to Reuters gave any further details on the putative ceasefire discussions. — Reuters, NBC news, 20 July 2026 Their putative wedding date comes nearly three years after June 8, 2023, when the Eras Tour hit Kansas City. — Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 29 June 2026 But the sheer fervor of protest from putative allies stunned Eaddy. — Ta-Nehisi Coates, Vanity Fair, 15 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for putative
Recent Examples of Synonyms for putative
  1. apparent
  2. presumed
  3. probable
  4. possible
  5. ostensible
  6. seeming
  7. obvious
Adjective
  • One account describes an unusual encounter that raises questions about the object’s flight characteristics and apparent lack of detectable heat.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Commenters seem amused by the apparent gaffe and have chosen to convey their feelings through a plethora of puns, jokes and memes.
    — Chuck Schilken, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of apparent
Adjective
  • The presumed reasoning behind why the film was ignored is multilayered.
    — Marcus Jones, IndieWire, 8 Aug. 2025
Definition of presumed
Adjective
  • When a conjunction is probable, SSA/STC service providers alert the operators involved, who then decide whether to undertake a collision-avoidance maneuver.
    — David Zamora, Space.com, 23 Oct. 2026
  • The former will undoubtedly be supplied by Jacob Misiorowski, the Brewers’ 24-year-old flame-throwing phenom and probable Cy Young Award winner.
    — Hannah Keyser, CNN Money, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of probable
Adjective
  • The students who stepped forward when their teacher collapsed playing basketball in Michigan illustrate what becomes possible when CPR skills are taught before they are needed.
    — Meng Yang, Time, 18 Oct. 2026
  • The film team had to come up with a strategy to capture as much as possible without interfering with Schnell’s challenge.
    — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of possible
Adjective
  • The timing suggested that the United States was consciously undercutting an ostensible ally, pressuring Zelensky to step aside or risk catastrophic outcomes on the battlefield.
    — Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 15 Oct. 2026
  • But even absent that, congressional Democrats can partner with international experts to help determine who was killed and for what ostensible reason.
    — Anjali Dayal, Washington Post, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of ostensible
Adjective
  • The wholesale change and Payton’s explanation for it after practice represented a dramatic shift in approach and tone from an offseason brimming with confidence and seeming conviction in the move.
    — Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 8 Oct. 2026
  • But Chee’s first-person, present-tense narration differs from most in being, in a seeming paradox, retrospective.
    — Garth Greenwell, New Yorker, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of seeming
Adjective
  • These reveal problems that might not be obvious in the short term, such as liver damage, as well as underlying conditions that could turn minor issues into something serious.
    — Amy Maxmen, Miami Herald, 19 Oct. 2026
  • If there are lessons from the 2025 wave of crypto IPOs, the most obvious is that investors should proceed with caution.
    — Jeff John Roberts, Fortune, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of obvious

Browse Nearby Words

put aside
putative
putatively
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Cite this Entry

“Putative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/putative. Accessed 25 Oct. 2026.

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