Putative
adj ·Moderate ·College level
Definitions
- 1 Commonly believed or deemed to be the case; generally assumed.
"Just as Prince Sihanouk is fronting for the Khmer Rouge today . . . so also was he their putative leader from 1970 to 1975."
- 2 Accepted by supposition rather than as a result of proof.
"In answer to the objection, that if a thing is only putative, it is fictitious"
- 3 Alleged, purported, ostensible, professed.
"A putative love tonic was made from the water in which myrtle leaves and flowers had been steeped."
- 4 Prospective, potential, proposed. proscribed, sometimes
"Paralleling this extension of government control was the development of a formally constituted opposition […] In some cases a former Prime Minister was clearly acknowledged as leader and putative Prime Minister, in others a generally-accepted leader emerged."
- 1 purported; commonly put forth or accepted as true on inconclusive grounds wordnet
Example
More examples"He was the putative playboy of the librarian set."
Etymology
First attested 1432, from Middle French putatif, from Latin putātīvus (“supposed, purported”), from putātus (“thought”), from putō (“I think, I consider, I reckon”).
Related phrases
More for "putative"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.