as in seemingly
to all outward appearances
the lake's putatively pristine water is actually crawling with microorganisms that can wreak havoc with your gastrointestinal system
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for putatively
Adverb
-
As Monaco ramped up the second-half pressure, with Spurs seemingly having no answer for the pace and fervour with which the Ligue 1 side attacked Frank’s defence from all angles, Netherlands international Teze looked set to break the deadlock.—
Elias Burke,
New York Times,
23 Oct. 2025 -
Citing climate change concerns and the melting ice sheet, Greenland implemented a moratorium on oil and gas drilling in 2021—seemingly bringing all oil dreams to an end—but the government agreed that White Flame’s licenses were grandfathered and remained valid.—
Jordan Blum,
Fortune,
22 Oct. 2025
Adverb
-
Generally, what happens to the White House’s trash is secret—at least as of 2018, which was apparently the last time the federal government released any information on where Oval Office garbage goes.—
Nancy Walecki,
The Atlantic,
25 Oct. 2025
-
The Lollapalooza show, the group says, was apparently manifested by the guitarist Parkinson.—
Josh Crutchmer,
Rolling Stone,
25 Oct. 2025
Adverb
-
Among the 65 submissions was one that detailed the discovery of a 1930s-era oil can from Fresno that was supposedly uncovered at SDSU during an on-campus building project.—
Kirk Kenney,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
23 Oct. 2025
-
To break the encryption would mean finding a fast solution to these supposedly infeasible problems, an act that would overturn a foundational assumption of modern math.—
Jack Murtagh,
Scientific American,
22 Oct. 2025
Adverb
-
What ostensibly started as a war against the flow of the deadly opioid fentanyl has now ballooned into a far broader clash – spanning rare earths, American soybean exports, technology controls and China’s energy dealings with Russia.—
Jhasua Razo,
CNN Money,
29 Oct. 2025
-
The subterfuge saw Colthurst ride his bicycle to Kensington Palace ostensibly to have tea with an old friend (the story was captured in the Netflix series The Crown).—
Simon Perry,
PEOPLE,
28 Oct. 2025
Adverb
-
American leaders should not hesitate to rein in Taiwan’s evidently reckless leader, perhaps with a private warning.—
Lyle Goldstein,
Time,
23 Oct. 2025
-
Since the skirt was so evidently the outfit's statement piece, Biles simply paired it with a form-fitting, white long sleeve and white, knee-high boots.—
Skyler Caruso,
PEOPLE,
22 Oct. 2025
Adverb
-
After all the members of Blackpink took a year off to pursue solo efforts, the group returned for a short tour, presumably to be followed by a more prolonged reunion.—
Thania Garcia,
Variety,
22 Oct. 2025
-
The target audience will presumably be sent whooshing back in time to the summer of 2007 by the Proustian sounds of Vegas rock band The Killers, whose music plays a significant role for two of the main characters.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
22 Oct. 2025
Adverb
-
Louisville would probably look quite different if the founder of Brown-Forman never became the first whiskey maker to bottle and seal his liquor.—
Maggie Menderski,
Louisville Courier Journal,
26 Oct. 2025
-
Sports betting is probably as old as sports itself.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
25 Oct. 2025
Adverb
-
Markets will likely rally Monday in response to the news of Milei’s resurgence.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
27 Oct. 2025
-
Santos Jimenez remains in good physical shape, with Debbie Jimenez noting that her father-in-law would likely be going for a walk after the interview.—
Graham Womack,
Sacbee.com,
26 Oct. 2025
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.
Cite this Entry
“Putatively.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/putatively. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share