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
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use postulate in a sentence
And with those exceptions we have brought them into the framework of our picture of the Universe by postulating "dense matter."
Unthinkable | Roger Phillips GrahamThis, of course, is equivalent to postulating the cerebral cortex as the exclusive seat of higher intellection.
A History of Science, Volume 4(of 5) | Henry Smith WilliamsFrom the above instances, which could be multiplied, we have no hesitation in postulating a Hebrew original of i.-iii.
Nothing would be gained, however, by postulating merely a mystery—an unknowable.
Is Life Worth Living? | William Hurrell Mallock"If you are postulating a linear progression from the old social sciences—forget it," Neel said.
The K-Factor | Harry Harrison (AKA Henry Maxwell Dempsey)
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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