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
Newsom has spent years pursuing a putative tunnel to bring more water through the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, but no shovels will be turned soon.
—
Thomas Elias, The Mercury News, 14 Feb. 2025
The company is facing a putative class action lawsuit alleging material misstatements in public statements regarding its clinical trials.
—Quartz Intelligence Newsroom, Quartz, 11 Feb. 2025
Biden’s putative building boom was in reality a building bust.
—Jason Furman, Foreign Affairs, 10 Feb. 2025
That same rationale dictates that putative but unidentified past crimes may not be pardoned.
—Robert A. Levy, Twin Cities, 7 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for putative
Thomas Elias, The Mercury News, 14 Feb. 2025
The company is facing a putative class action lawsuit alleging material misstatements in public statements regarding its clinical trials.
—Quartz Intelligence Newsroom, Quartz, 11 Feb. 2025
Biden’s putative building boom was in reality a building bust.
—Jason Furman, Foreign Affairs, 10 Feb. 2025
That same rationale dictates that putative but unidentified past crimes may not be pardoned.
—Robert A. Levy, Twin Cities, 7 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for putative
Recent Examples of Synonyms for putative
Adjective
-
The state Department of Environmental Conservation and the city DEP both cited the MTA earlier this month when an apparent overflow in the depot’s sewage ejection pit ran off into nearby storm drains, spilling what DEC inspectors estimated to be 50 gallons of waste into the bay.—
Evan Simko-Bednarski,
New York Daily News,
27 Apr. 2025
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What could draw such large predators to an apparent oceanic desert?—
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
26 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
The race for eighth That does not have a glamorous ring to it, but a European prize is probable for whoever comes out on top.—
Andy Naylor,
New York Times,
23 Apr. 2025
-
Massive damages To implement their method, the researchers perform lots of individual models, collectively providing the most probable costs and the likely range around them.—
John Timmer,
ArsTechnica,
23 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Many Andor fans weren’t happy to learn that Disney+ intended to release the show’s second and final season in weekly three-episode chunks, as if the streamer were eager to be done with this outlier entry in the Star Wars franchise as quickly as possible.—
Alan Sepinwall,
Rolling Stone,
23 Apr. 2025
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My Maryland street is proof of that and offers a call for states and the rest of the world to carry on the fight for climate solutions as fast as possible.—
Mike Tidwell,
Baltimore Sun,
23 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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But due to Coogler’s framing, seeing Mary, a white-passing woman but ostensible outsider, turned into a vampire is tragic.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
24 Apr. 2025
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Some ostensible environmental regulations are also holding back new clean energy deployment, and in some cases, the red tape is being cynically weaponized against projects like offshore wind farms.—
Umair Irfan,
Vox,
22 Apr. 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
-
Still, Strider was frustrated for obvious reasons and searching for answers.—
David O'Brien,
New York Times,
23 Apr. 2025
-
Hague lamented the rush to reach a deal in the absence of any obvious pressure on Russia but with an intense focus on obtaining for the U.S. the mineral wealth of Ukraine.—
Ross Rosenfeld,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Putative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/putative. Accessed 3 May. 2025.
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