postulate
to ask, demand, or claim.
to claim or assume the existence or truth of, especially as a basis for reasoning or arguing.
to assume without proof, or as self-evident; take for granted.
Mathematics, Logic. to assume as a postulate.
something taken as self-evident or assumed without proof as a basis for reasoning.
Mathematics, Logic. a proposition that requires no proof, being self-evident, or that is for a specific purpose assumed true, and that is used in the proof of other propositions; axiom.
a fundamental principle.
a necessary condition; prerequisite.
Origin of postulate
1Other words for postulate
Other words from postulate
- pos·tu·la·tion, noun
- pos·tu·la·tion·al, adjective
- re·pos·tu·late, verb (used with object), re·pos·tu·lat·ed, re·pos·tu·lat·ing.
- re·pos·tu·late, noun
- re·pos·tu·la·tion, noun
- un·pos·tu·lat·ed, adjective
Words Nearby postulate
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use postulate in a sentence
Even people who postulate a creative God usually acknowledge that his existence shifts the big question rather than resolving it.
“Why Does the World Exist?” by Jim Holt: Review | Anthony Gottlieb | July 17, 2012 | THE DAILY BEASTWhile the war lasted, so he laid down, there must—apart from the postulate of Unity—be a truce to party struggles.
The Life of Mazzini | Bolton KingHe receives as a postulate that which I must have demonstrated.
But I disagree with them all, because they postulate the idea that time is constantly being manufactured.
The Day Time Stopped Moving | Bradner BucknerMark Twain's early life, however imperfectly recorded, exemplifies this postulate.
Mark Twain, A Biography, 1835-1910, Complete | Albert Bigelow Paine
All theologians and some metaphysicians postulate a fifth state of life, the divine, placing it above the rest as their source.
Communism and Christianism | William Montgomery Brown
British Dictionary definitions for postulate
to assume to be true or existent; take for granted
to ask, demand, or claim
to nominate (a person) to a post or office subject to approval by a higher authority
something taken as self-evident or assumed as the basis of an argument
a necessary condition or prerequisite
a fundamental principle
logic maths an unproved and indemonstrable statement that should be taken for granted: used as an initial premise or underlying hypothesis in a process of reasoning
Origin of postulate
1Derived forms of postulate
- postulation, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for postulate
[ pŏs′chə-lĭt ]
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Cultural definitions for postulate
A statement accepted as true for the purposes of argument or scientific investigation; also, a basic principle. (See axiom.)
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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