ISEE/SSAT Vocabulary BuilderWordsPputative
ISEE/SSAThard
putative
Meaning: generally believed or accepted but not conclusively proven
putative in a sentence
How putative is used in real sentences:
The putative heir could not produce documents supporting his claim.
The museum displayed the putative original while experts continued testing its age.
“Vale, the putative mastermind, had been generally treated as guilty before the altered logs supplied anything approaching proof.”
— from the passage The Weight of Fifteen Years
“She therefore called the interior a putative vacuum and proposed repeating the trial with chambers of different sizes.”
— from the passage The Chamber Argument
Synonyms for putative
Other words for putative — supposed, presumed and reputed — carry the same meaning.
- supposed
- presumed
- reputed
Antonyms of putative
Words that mean the opposite of putative:
- proven
- confirmed
- actual
Where it comes from
From Latin putare, meaning 'to think or suppose.'
Memory hook
PUTATIVE sounds like 'put a label': the label is accepted before the facts are proven.