putative

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putative

/ˈpjuː.tə.tɪv/ UK
/ˈpju.tə.tɪv/ US
/ˈpjʉː.tə.tɪv/ Australia

Rhymes with -uːtətɪv

Where it comes from

First attested c. 1432, from Middle French putatif, from Latin putātīvus (“supposed, purported”), from putātus (“thought”), from putō (“to think, to consider, to reckon”).

adjective more putative · most putative

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.
Similar: reputed, supposed
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
Alleged, purported, ostensible, professed. A putative love tonic was made from the water in which myrtle leaves and flowers had been steeped.
proscribed, sometimes Prospective, potential, proposed. 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.

Translations

Every language

adj commonly believed or deemed to be the case

Español	putativo, existimativo
日本語	推定 suitei
中文	推定的 tuīdìng de, 假定的 jiǎdìng de
Português	putativo
Français	putatif, présumé
Deutsch	mutmaßlich, vermeintlich, angeblich
Italiano	putativo
Ελληνικά	φερόμενος, υποτιθέμενος ypotithémenos
Русский	предположи́тельный predpoložítelʹnyj, вероя́тный verojátnyj, мни́мый mnímyj
العربية	مُفْتَرَض muftaraḍ

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MLA

"putative." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/putative. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

putative. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/putative

Chicago

"putative." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/putative.

BibTeX

@misc{putative_2026,
  title = {putative},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/putative},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}