PUTATIVE Synonyms: 66 Similar and Opposite Words

putative

adjective

ˈpyü-tə-tiv

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

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Recent Examples of putative During the Cold War’s first decades, the CIA’s version of these men on the spot produced a succession of seemingly stunning covert victories that created a pantheon of putative American heroes. —

Alfred McCoy, Literary Hub, 26 Feb. 2026 War warnings, policy reversals, the hunt for AI victims, more than one putative $1 trillion private company looming over the public markets – there's plenty going on. —

Michael Santoli, CNBC, 23 Feb. 2026 For those wearing the putative target on their back, this can surely be agonizing. —

Mark Leibovich, The Atlantic, 31 Jan. 2026 The criteria for these distinctions—between putative immigrant and indelible alien—are not complicated; for above all, The Homeland is a racist project. —

Ta-Nehisi Coates, Vanity Fair, 26 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for putative

Recent Examples of Synonyms for putative

Adjective

The apparent bear attack took place nearly three decades after the last deadly bear attack in Glacier National Park occurred in 1998 in the Two Medicine Valley.

— Bailey Richards, PEOPLE, 9 May 2026
But their apparent domestic paradise was thrown into disarray when Betty began to suspect her husband was having an affair with his younger office assistant, Linda Kolkena.

— Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2026