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
His preferred model instead invokes the putative decay of another mysterious aspect of cosmology, dark matter—thought to be a substance that gravitationally binds galaxies together but otherwise scarcely interacts with the rest of the universe at all.
—
Lyndie Chiou, Scientific American, 30 Apr. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for putative
Lyndie Chiou, Scientific American, 30 Apr. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for putative
Recent Examples of Synonyms for putative
Adjective
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And its author has become the namesake of this phenomenon of apparent contradictions.—
Noah Lyons,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
13 Aug. 2025
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The apparent change to his game, the sacrifice and compromise of the individual in favour of the collective, has delivered five major trophies and taken him to the very top of the sport.—
Jordan Campbell,
New York Times,
13 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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In light of budget constraints, steep cuts to a wide range of Medicaid benefits are probable in the short term.—
Joshua P. Cohen,
Forbes.com,
7 Aug. 2025
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Wind gusts of up to 60 mph and quarter-sized hail (1 inch) are probable.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
31 July 2025
Adjective
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Their identifications were made possible by advanced DNA analysis of remains recovered from the attack, along with family outreach, said the OCME.—
David Chiu,
People.com,
8 Aug. 2025
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While other fixers prefer to operate in the shadows and keep as low a profile as possible, Miguel believes his visibility, even his celebrity, acts as a sort of cloak of protection.—
Jesse Hyde,
Rolling Stone,
7 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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The ostensible reason for rolling in the National Guard is high crime.—
Pat Beall,
Sun Sentinel,
14 Aug. 2025
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Unlike a mattress monster that actually feeds on people, the othered beings in Park’s second ostensible creature feature are recognizably human, even if the wider population is encouraged not to perceive them that way.—
Josh Slater-Williams,
IndieWire,
11 Aug. 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
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Nowhere is that more obvious or more urgent than in education.—
Dan Fitzpatrick,
Forbes.com,
7 Aug. 2025
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Mountains are always there, but another form of turbulence can seemingly appear from nowhere, with no obvious visual cues to warn pilots.—
Renée Rigdon,
CNN Money,
7 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Putative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/putative. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.
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