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

Example Sentences

A senior Sikh policeman, putatively working for the colonial government, protected Vasdev from arrest.

From The Wall Street Journal

To surrender such decisions to some putatively wiser entity is, in some essential sense, to surrender our humanness.

From The Wall Street Journal

“The death of their father was extraordinarily traumatic, as you can imagine. That was compounded by this putative heir all of a sudden showing up and demanding money,” said Joseph Lipchitz, a litigator in Boston.

From The Wall Street Journal

In the blunt words of Document 19, “Marxism is incompatible with any theistic worldview,” an obstacle to socialism’s putatively “brilliant future.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Others have pointed to putative profiteering by cattle ranchers, whose profits per animal have spiraled higher, even as many have pared the size of their herds.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• presumed
• presumptive
• reputed
• supposed