Standard Lemma guide

putative

adj · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈpjuː.tə.tɪv/
  • General-American: /ˈpju.tə.tɪv/
  • Australian: /ˈpjʉː.tə.tɪv/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -uːtətɪv
  • CMU ARPABET: P Y UW1 T AH0 T IH0 V Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Commonly believed or deemed to be the case; generally assumed.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: reputed, supposed

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Accepted by supposition rather than as a result of proof.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adj

Meaning 3

Alleged, purported, ostensible, professed.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

adj

Meaning 4

Prospective, potential, proposed.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: proscribed, sometimes

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

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

Across languages

Translations

53 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Armenian: ենթադրյալ (entʻadryal) — commonly believed or deemed to be the case
  • Bulgarian: мним (mnim) — commonly believed or deemed to be the case
  • Bulgarian: предполагаем (predpolagaem) — commonly believed or deemed to be the case
  • Catalan: putatiu — commonly believed or deemed to be the case
  • Chinese Mandarin: 推定的 (tuīdìng de) — commonly believed or deemed to be the case
  • Chinese Mandarin: 假定的 (jiǎdìng de) — commonly believed or deemed to be the case
  • Czech: domnělý — commonly believed or deemed to be the case
  • Czech: putativní — commonly believed or deemed to be the case
  • Dutch: zogenaamd — commonly believed or deemed to be the case
  • Dutch: vermoedelijk — commonly believed or deemed to be the case
  • Dutch: vermeend — commonly believed or deemed to be the case
  • Estonian: arvatav — commonly believed or deemed to be the case
  • Estonian: oletatav — commonly believed or deemed to be the case
  • Finnish: oletettu — commonly believed or deemed to be the case
  • French: putatif — commonly believed or deemed to be the case
  • French: présumé — commonly believed or deemed to be the case
  • German: mutmaßlich — commonly believed or deemed to be the case
  • German: vermeintlich — commonly believed or deemed to be the case
  • German: angeblich — commonly believed or deemed to be the case
  • Greek: φερόμενος — commonly believed or deemed to be the case
  • Greek: υποτιθέμενος (ypotithémenos) — commonly believed or deemed to be the case
  • Hungarian: feltételezett — commonly believed or deemed to be the case
  • Hungarian: vélelmezett — commonly believed or deemed to be the case
  • Hungarian: vélt — commonly believed or deemed to be the case
  • Icelandic: meintur — commonly believed or deemed to be the case
  • Italian: putativo — commonly believed or deemed to be the case
  • Japanese: 推定 (suitei) — commonly believed or deemed to be the case
  • Macedonian: претпоставен (pretpostaven) — commonly believed or deemed to be the case
  • Macedonian: наводен (navoden) — commonly believed or deemed to be the case
  • Norwegian: antatt — commonly believed or deemed to be the case
  • Norwegian: formentlig — commonly believed or deemed to be the case
  • Norwegian: formodet — commonly believed or deemed to be the case
  • Polish: domniemany — commonly believed or deemed to be the case
  • Polish: przypuszczalny — commonly believed or deemed to be the case
  • Portuguese: putativo — commonly believed or deemed to be the case
  • Russian: предположи́тельный (predpoložítelʹnyj) — commonly believed or deemed to be the case
  • Russian: вероя́тный (verojátnyj) — commonly believed or deemed to be the case
  • Russian: мни́мый (mnímyj) — commonly believed or deemed to be the case
  • Serbo-Croatian: претпо̀стављен — commonly believed or deemed to be the case
  • Serbo-Croatian: наводан — commonly believed or deemed to be the case
  • Serbo-Croatian: вје̏роја̄тан — commonly believed or deemed to be the case
  • Serbo-Croatian: pretpòstavljen — commonly believed or deemed to be the case
  • Serbo-Croatian: navodan — commonly believed or deemed to be the case
  • Serbo-Croatian: vjȅrojātan — commonly believed or deemed to be the case
  • Spanish: presunto — commonly believed or deemed to be the case
  • Spanish: supuesto — commonly believed or deemed to be the case
  • Swedish: förment — commonly believed or deemed to be the case
  • Swedish: förmodad — commonly believed or deemed to be the case
  • Turkish: varsayılan — commonly believed or deemed to be the case
  • Turkish: farz edilen — commonly believed or deemed to be the case
  • Turkish: varsayımsal — commonly believed or deemed to be the case
  • Ukrainian: га́даний (hádanyj) — commonly believed or deemed to be the case
  • Ukrainian: припусти́мий (prypustýmyj) — commonly believed or deemed to be the case