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
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Recent Examples of putatively
From the perspective of a world of increasingly unimaginable maldistribution of resources, cascading ecological collapse, a genocide cheered on by a putatively liberal order, both are barbarisms.
—
Literary Hub, 7 Nov. 2025
Literary Hub, 7 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for putatively
Adverb
-
She's joined by her costars Emily Blunt and Stanley Tucci (though Meryl Streep is seemingly skipping the event).—
Anika Reed,
USA Today,
5 May 2026
-
The apparent targeting and firing of immigration court judges nationwide, seemingly over rulings that go against the administration’s deportation priorities, have drawn widespread news coverage in recent days and shined an intense spotlight on the role of the immigration courts.—
Sean Emery,
Oc Register,
4 May 2026
Adverb
-
That, apparently, was a club rule.—
Kelefa Sanneh,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
-
Ben Williamson then lined a ball that third baseman Matt Chapman apparently caught just above turf level.—
Marc Topkin,
The Orlando Sentinel,
3 May 2026
Adverb
-
But Musk refused, then appeared to grow threatening enough that the court may allow Brockman to testify on the message as evidence supposedly revealing Musk’s true motives for pursuing the litigation.—
Ashley Belanger,
ArsTechnica,
4 May 2026
-
The tax, which would target billionaires with a 5% levy on their net worth, is supposedly a means to bring funding back to healthcare, public education, and food assistance programs intended for middle-class and low-income Californians.—
Douglas Schoen,
Oc Register,
4 May 2026
Adverb
-
The scene is a still, ostensibly a screenshot of a TikTok clip.—
Lila Shroff,
The Atlantic,
2 May 2026
-
While Jokic declined a three-year, $207 million extension last summer, that decision ostensibly was due to the ability to get a larger extension this summer, one that could be worth $293 million over four seasons (for a moment allow that to marinate).—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
2 May 2026
Adverb
-
Back in court as Pekara spoke, a police officer reached out to put her hand on the shoulder of a young man seated in one of the front rows, evidently a family member of one of the two officers.—
Caroline Kubzansky,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Apr. 2026
-
The Arsenal manager invoked a bed of roses and the accompaniment of celestial music and formed an expression to suggest anyone expecting that was evidently disconnected from the reality of a Premier League title race.—
Amy Lawrence,
New York Times,
26 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
This year’s Cannes jury is led by Park Chan-wook and features many friendly faces like Demi Moore (and presumably Pilaf), Ruth Negga, Isaach de Bankolé, Stellan Skarsgård, and Chloé Zhao.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
4 May 2026
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Even the hard feelings around Nutting seemed to be easing after the promise of bigger spending, better players and – presumably – a bunch more wins.—
Hannah Keyser,
CNN Money,
4 May 2026
Adverb
-
At this year's event, held at Pura Padel, Holland participated with other BERO higher-ups in a friendly tournament of padel, a racquet sport that's probably best described as a combination of squash and tennis.—
Charles Trepany,
USA Today,
1 May 2026
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Voters will probably be bombarded with political ads and arguments from opposing sides as the battle intensifies.—
Queenie Wong,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
Provincial Bavarian and British ethno-sentimental varieties come easily to mind, and in the twenty-first century, American exports of material culture will likely be overtaken worldwide by Chinese trinkets in the style of Temu-Rococo.—
Olivia Kan-Sperling,
Artforum,
2 May 2026
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Its format likely was a factor; CBS ultimately went with four new comedy series for the 2016-17 season, all of them multi-cam.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
1 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Putatively.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/putatively. Accessed 5 May. 2026.
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