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
But this Administration has swept up putative gang members, some reportedly for nothing more than having a tattoo, and disappeared them to foreign prisons.
—
Andrew Marantz, New Yorker, 28 Apr. 2025
The Government is directed not to remove any member of the putative class of detainees from the United States until further order of this Court.
—Ross Rosenfeld, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Apr. 2025
His putative allies are, after all, terrified of harassment and physical violence from the army of released insurrectionists that Trump all but commands himself.
—Faisal Kutty, Newsweek, 11 Mar. 2025
The announcement came after President Trump's senior Africa advisor, Massad Boulos, traveled to the Congolese capital Kinshasa last week to discuss a putative U.S.-DRC minerals deal.
—Npr's International Desk, NPR, 8 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for putative
Andrew Marantz, New Yorker, 28 Apr. 2025
The Government is directed not to remove any member of the putative class of detainees from the United States until further order of this Court.
—Ross Rosenfeld, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Apr. 2025
His putative allies are, after all, terrified of harassment and physical violence from the army of released insurrectionists that Trump all but commands himself.
—Faisal Kutty, Newsweek, 11 Mar. 2025
The announcement came after President Trump's senior Africa advisor, Massad Boulos, traveled to the Congolese capital Kinshasa last week to discuss a putative U.S.-DRC minerals deal.
—Npr's International Desk, NPR, 8 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for putative
Recent Examples of Synonyms for putative
Adjective
-
Birdsong’s apparent beanball came in the exact time and place that the unwritten rules prescribe: two outs, bases empty, first pitch.—
Andrew Baggarly,
New York Times,
26 June 2025
-
Other Demographic Differences Women’s second fall persistence rate (79.3%) exceeded that of men (76.3%), continuing a trend that’s been apparent for several years.—
Michael T. Nietzel,
Forbes.com,
26 June 2025
Adjective
-
The March flight failed in similar fashion, but SpaceX's investigators determined the most probable root cause was a hardware failure in one of the ship's engines, a different failure mode than two months before.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
19 June 2025
-
For his next act, Bill Zito tries something else no one thought possible, financially practical or any-which-way probable.—
Dave Hyde,
Sun Sentinel,
19 June 2025
Adjective
-
The town of Porter is committed to keeping its dispatch center with Chesterton as long as possible.—
Shelley Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
22 June 2025
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This might signal that the two are also getting ready for a possible upcoming change.—
Lissete Lanuza Sáenz,
StyleCaster,
22 June 2025
Adjective
-
Though Benny and his crush, Miles (Rish Shah), make eyes at each other, Benny’s friendship with his ostensible love interest, Carmen (Wally Baram), emerges as the real love story.—Inkoo Kang Off Broadway Jennifer Smith as Stage Manager.—
Marina Harss,
New Yorker,
13 June 2025
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On the flipside to questions about the benefits of AI are questions about its ostensible negatives.—
Clemente Theotokis,
Forbes.com,
10 June 2025
Adjective
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Emilia Pérez’s turnout in particular was a fall from seeming dominance, perhaps precipitated by Gascón’s controversy.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
3 Mar. 2025
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That night of violence — with its brutality and seeming lack of a motive — has shaken the community.—
Richard Winton,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Sep. 2024
Adjective
-
But Cate mentioned obvious areas of interest such as housing, infrastructure, regulations, taxes and fees, trade and the overall cost of living.—
Michael Smolens,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
22 June 2025
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Such an obvious way to exhibit his egotistical personality.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
22 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Putative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/putative. Accessed 30 Jun. 2025.
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