Putative
adjective
Thought or believed to be the case or so.
The putative leader of the gang was arrested last night.
Often appears as...
- putative father
- putative author
Usage tips
Formal
Academic
adjective
Generally considered or reputed to be.
The putative owner of the property.
Usage tips
Formal
Technical
adjective
Thought or believed to be the case or so.
The putative leader of the gang was arrested last night.
Often appears as...
- putative father
- putative author
Usage tips
Formal
Academic
adjective
Generally considered or reputed to be.
The putative owner of the property.
Usage tips
Formal
Technical
Definition 1 of 2
Pro Tip 1/3Implied Uncertainty
Use 'putative' to express that something is assumed but not proven or confirmed.
He was the putative inventor, despite the lack of patents.
Pro Tip 2/3Academic Tone
'Putative' adds a formal tone and is often used in scholarly texts or discussions.
The study focuses on the putative benefits of the new drug.
Pro Tip 3/3Collocation Patterns
Pair 'putative' with nouns relating to people or causes to imply their apparent role or effect.
She is the putative author of the controversial article.
Pro Tip 1/3Implied Uncertainty
Use 'putative' to express that something is assumed but not proven or confirmed.
He was the putative inventor, despite the lack of patents.
Pro Tip 2/3Academic Tone
'Putative' adds a formal tone and is often used in scholarly texts or discussions.
The study focuses on the putative benefits of the new drug.
Pro Tip 3/3Collocation Patterns
Pair 'putative' with nouns relating to people or causes to imply their apparent role or effect.
She is the putative author of the controversial article.
Pro Tip 1/3Implied Uncertainty
Use 'putative' to express that something is assumed but not proven or confirmed.
He was the putative inventor, despite the lack of patents.
Pro Tip 2/3Academic Tone
'Putative' adds a formal tone and is often used in scholarly texts or discussions.
The study focuses on the putative benefits of the new drug.
Pro Tip 3/3Collocation Patterns
Pair 'putative' with nouns relating to people or causes to imply their apparent role or effect.
She is the putative author of the controversial article.
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Video examples
How we can make crops...
They're held as membranes because they're in water. Take away the water, those membranes fall apart. Lipids also act as signals to turn on genes. Then we use physiological and biochemical studies to try and understand the function of the putative protectants that we've actually discovered in our other studies.
Video examples
How we can make crops...
They're held as membranes because they're in water. Take away the water, those membranes fall apart. Lipids also act as signals to turn on genes. Then we use physiological and biochemical studies to try and understand the function of the putative protectants that we've actually discovered in our other studies.
Example 1 of 1
Quote examples
Seth Shostak
American Scientist
Sending greeting cards to aliens is hardly a new idea. In 2005, Craigslist solicited messages for broadcast to space by a transmitter in Florida, and in 2008, NASA beamed a Beatles song to the North Star (Polaris), on the assumption that any putative Polarians would appreciate the Fab Four's 1960s-genre compositions.
Quote examples
Seth Shostak
American Scientist
A century ago, scientists believed there was only one obvious stomping ground for alien biology in our solar system: Mars. Because it was reminiscent of Earth, Mars was assumed to be chock-a-block with animate beings, and its putative inhabitants got a lot of column inches and screen time.
Quote examples
William Gibson
American Writer
I'm quite good friends with the putative director, Vincenzo Natali, and I'm a big fan of his work, but beyond that, I don't like to talk about other people's work work-in-progress.
Quote examples
James L. Buckley
American Politician
The kind of corruption the media talk about, the kind the Supreme Court was concerned about, involves the putative sale of votes in exchange for campaign contributions.
Quote examples
Seth Shostak
American Scientist
Sending greeting cards to aliens is hardly a new idea. In 2005, Craigslist solicited messages for broadcast to space by a transmitter in Florida, and in 2008, NASA beamed a Beatles song to the North Star (Polaris), on the assumption that any putative Polarians would appreciate the Fab Four's 1960s-genre compositions.
Quote examples
Seth Shostak
American Scientist
A century ago, scientists believed there was only one obvious stomping ground for alien biology in our solar system: Mars. Because it was reminiscent of Earth, Mars was assumed to be chock-a-block with animate beings, and its putative inhabitants got a lot of column inches and screen time.
Quote examples
William Gibson
American Writer
I'm quite good friends with the putative director, Vincenzo Natali, and I'm a big fan of his work, but beyond that, I don't like to talk about other people's work work-in-progress.
Quote examples
James L. Buckley
American Politician
The kind of corruption the media talk about, the kind the Supreme Court was concerned about, involves the putative sale of votes in exchange for campaign contributions.
Example 1 of 4
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