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
-
University City is filled with yellow rezoning signs and cleared land seemingly on every corner.—
Desiree Mathurin,
Charlotte Observer,
6 Apr. 2026
-
Professionals in Mexico’s arts community had protested the initially vague plans to export the collection of 160 artworks, seemingly for an indefinite period of time, to the Santander bank’s new cultural center, the Faro Santander.—
Devorah Lauter,
ARTnews.com,
6 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
Even at an early age, apparently, the patient had a few small, smooth, normal patches of skin; some had stayed the same size, but others had grown and spread.—
Jerome Groopman,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
-
The Granville Suite, once military reception rooms, is named after Christine Granville, rumored lover of Ian Fleming and apparently Churchill’s favorite spy.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
5 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
Plenty of developments are alarming right now, even as America is supposedly becoming great again.—
Beverly Gage,
The Atlantic,
5 Apr. 2026
-
The president himself chose not to name a new full-time national security adviser after removing Mike Waltz, who had included a journalist in supposedly secure communications regarding military action.—
DP Opinion,
Denver Post,
4 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
In January 1979, the shah left Iran, ostensibly to seek cancer treatment.—
Jeffrey Fields,
The Conversation,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Which means your job is ostensibly to try to make people better bosses, right?—
Charlie Warzel,
The Atlantic,
3 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
But the big truck is evidently now emblematic of America and must be accepted by our trading partners, regardless of whether there’s customer demand.—
Jonathan M. Gitlin,
ArsTechnica,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Mitchell’s performance thus far at both Rockingham and Daytona, combined with his overall lack of racing experience, was evidently enough for NASCAR officials to deny him entry into the O’Reilly Series race at Talladega.—
Jordan Bianchi,
New York Times,
8 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
Javan Buchanan - Fifth-year forward Buchanan had presumably finished his college career the same night that Boise State’s season ended with a disappointing Mountain West Tournament first-round loss to San Jose State.—
Shaun Goodwin,
Idaho Statesman,
6 Apr. 2026
-
Altman’s share would presumably be worth more.—
Ronan Farrow,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
Grocery prices will probably be a bit higher.—
Aimee Picchi,
CBS News,
9 Apr. 2026
-
In all fairness, the intense focus on all of this over the past three years probably has made the play, which was a courageous piece to write in 2023, feel less fresh.—
Chris Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
Energy price rises will likely affect consumer demand for technology products as disposable spending is impacted.—
Kai Nicol-Schwarz,
CNBC,
10 Apr. 2026
-
Low humidity, dry vegetation, and a lack of rain will keep fire danger elevated through next week and likely beyond.—
Troy Bridges,
CBS News,
10 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Putatively.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/putatively. Accessed 11 Apr. 2026.
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