PUTATIVE Synonyms: 66 Similar and Opposite Words

putative

adjective

ˈpyü-tə-tiv

Definition of putative

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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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

Adjective

The Trying star is leading The Death of Sherlock Holmes, which fills the gap between the detective’s apparent death at the Reichenbach Falls in 1891 and his reappearance in The Adventure of the Empty House three years later.

— Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 16 Oct. 2026
Investigators with the city of Douglas, Georgia have released the identities of the five adults killed in an apparent murder-suicide last week.

— Dan Raby, CBS News, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of apparent

Adjective

With their season and pursuit of history on the line, the Boys in Blue are slated to send Tyler Glasnow to the mound against Milwaukee, which hasn't yet announced a probable starter.

— Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 15 Oct. 2026
The recent spate of probable Russian attacks in the Black Sea is now disrupting shipping carrying Ukraine’s latest harvest to the rest of Europe, with some cargo being rerouted overland or through the River Danube, Politico reported.

— Jeremy Hsu, ArsTechnica, 14 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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“Putative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/putative. Accessed 22 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of putative

adjective

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