putative

American  

[pyoo-tuh-tiv] / ˈpyu tə tɪv /

adjective

1. commonly regarded as such; reputed; supposed.

   the putative boss of the mob.

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putative British  

/ ˈpjuːtətɪv /

adjective

1. (prenominal) commonly regarded as being

   the putative father

2. (prenominal) considered to exist or have existed; inferred

3. grammar denoting a mood of the verb in some languages used when the speaker does not have direct evidence of what he is asserting, but has inferred it on the basis of something else

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Other Word Forms

• putatively adverb
• unputative adjective
• unputatively adverb

Etymology

Origin of putative

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Late Latin putātīvus “considered, reckoned, reputed,” equivalent to putāt(us) (past participle of putāre “to think, consider, reckon,” originally “to prune (trees), clean (wool)” + -īvus -ive

Explanation

You might be the putative leader of your lacrosse team, even if someone else holds the title of captain. Putative means to be known as something by reputation, or assumed to be something, or generally accepted. Every once in a while, a putative planet is reported in the news, which we get very excited about and which usually turns out to be an illusion. But in 2005, an astronomer discovered what appears to be a new planet beyond Neptune. But is this putative planet for real? There is always some doubt — something not quite official — about putative things.

Example Sentences

Instead, the strategic calculation appears to have been that you can fold some of the groypers back into mainstream conservativism, but only by tiptoeing around the flaws of their putative leaders.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 6, 2025

Somewhat inexplicably, Eddie Fales, Baldwin’s ex-lover, was also there as his putative “secretary,” while his current lover, Lucien Happersberger, presumably because he was not American, was not.

From Slate • Aug. 18, 2025

Perhaps the largest events were the Watergate scandal and Nixon’s resignation, a putative victory for democracy and constitutionalism.

From Salon • Aug. 9, 2025

The putative legal challenge is based on a series of judgements by various United Nations bodies that the Chagos Islands belong to Mauritius.

From BBC • May 22, 2025

There were times when Allen, on patrol and by then Nicholas’s putative stepfather, would catch him on the street and write up a summons but then let him go.

From "Class Matters" by The New York Times

Related Words

• presumed
• presumptive
• reputed
• supposed