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
-
What was a surprise was the seemingly indiscriminate barrages on civilian targets in the Gulf.—
Tareq Alotaiba,
semafor.com,
2 Mar. 2026
-
His earliest records were stark, spare and sad, seemingly solo even when augmented by another voice, string player, or percussionist.—
Stephen Thomas Erlewine,
Pitchfork,
2 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
But war with Iran has accelerated those normal increases, and the impact on prices at pump will be readily apparently in just a matter of days.—
Chris Isidore,
CNN Money,
2 Mar. 2026
-
Danzi is apparently obsessed with polo and Prince Harry invites him to matches.—
Richard Johnson,
New York Daily News,
1 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
There’s a silk diaphragm with metal ceramic that supposedly results in faster transient response — the driver’s ability to respond to sudden sound quickly and accurately — with better balanced sound reproduction.—
John Higgins,
The Verge,
1 Mar. 2026
-
Sue used some of Don’s money, supposedly given to her, to purchase a mansion in another state in her name.—
Virginia Hammerle,
Dallas Morning News,
1 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
Many of Silverblatt’s best moments come not in conversation but in his soliloquies delivered to the author who is ostensibly being interviewed.—
John Warner,
Chicago Tribune,
28 Feb. 2026
-
The Ducks’ fourth line toiled low in the zone, and after the Jets hustled to avert the threat there, Trouba’s ostensibly harmless fling from the far corner found the net, appearing to hit Winnipeg defenseman Ville Heinola’s stick first.—
Andrew Knoll,
Oc Register,
28 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
Iran arrives knowing that the United States has positioned dozens of warships and military aircraft in the region, evidently ready to strike.—
Hanna Rosin,
The Atlantic,
26 Feb. 2026
-
The country that constructed this majestic temple to the arts was evidently a land of reason, progress, ideals, and faith in the future.—
Sean Williams,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
Any best-case scenario for USC this month presumably would involve a true star turn for Davidson, who already has proven to be a bona fide playmaker as a freshman.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
2 Mar. 2026
-
Miami could also presumably choose a cornerback, with LSU’s Mansoor Delane and Tennessee’s Jermod McCoy as options.—
David Furones,
Sun Sentinel,
28 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
African wildcats didn’t evolve around water and probably would be just as wary of a bathtub as our domestic kitties.—
Popular Science Team,
Popular Science,
27 Feb. 2026
-
But Pon thinks states will probably tax contributions from employers.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
27 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
Similar to the time Apple took on the FBI by refusing to unlock an iPhone belonging to a terrorist suspect, Anthropic will likely be remembered as a principled and moral actor.—
Reed Albergotti,
semafor.com,
28 Feb. 2026
-
The roughly 650-year-old ship, which was likely sailing from China to Temasek, a historic settlement on the site of modern-day Singapore, contained a record haul of Yuan Dynasty porcelain, according to the paper that detailed its discovery.—
Issy Ronald,
CNN Money,
28 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Putatively.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/putatively. Accessed 3 Mar. 2026.
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