postulates 1 of 2

noun

plural of postulate
as in assumptions
something taken as being true or factual and used as a starting point for a course of action or reasoning one of the postulates that the true agnostic rejects is the assumption that it is even possible for us to know whether God exists

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postulates

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of postulate
as in assumes
to take as true or as a fact without actual proof postulates that all people are born with certain rights that can never be taken away from them

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of postulates
Noun
Not really Dagmar Bruss, professor and Head of the Quantum Information Theory group at HHU, and her doctoral researcher, Pedro Barrios Hita, conducted a new analysis of the postulates used in the 2021 paper and found one to be too restrictive. — Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 22 June 2026 Another postulates that sleep removes waste from the brain. — Shayla Love, New Yorker, 18 Feb. 2026
Verb
One of the theories postulates that the ribbon represents a group of particles that somehow leaked from the heliosphere and bounced around interstellar space before returning to the Solar System. — Kyle Orland, ArsTechnica, 24 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for postulates
  1. assumptions
  2. assumes
  3. theories
  4. says
  5. hypotheses
  6. presumes
  7. believes
  8. hypothesizes
Noun
  • If an employee hesitates or overcommits, avoid making assumptions or asking defensive questions.
    — Julie Kratz, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026
  • The alternative is to allow each side’s strategy to reinforce the other’s worst assumptions until escalation begins to look less like a choice than an inevitability.
    — Hamidreza Azizi, Time, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of assumptions
Verb
  • As the force gradually assumes responsibility for police patrols, Haitian police will be able to redeploy to support operations in Kenscoff, the international force said.
    — Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 2 Sep. 2026
  • The problem is that the stock's valuation already assumes all of that keeps going, at a moment when the growth driver behind it (the AI-era power generation boom) is facing its first regulatory pushback.
    — Tony Zhang, CNBC, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of assumes
Noun
  • Several theories involving collective electronic interactions remain possible.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 5 Sep. 2026
  • Grueling weeks of testimony In a trial that stretched over five weeks, included more than 80 witnesses and attracted international attention to the issue of postpartum mental health, jurors heard competing theories about Clancy's mental condition.
    — Carmel Wroth, NPR, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of theories
Verb
  • Dorsey was founded lab-grown, always marks its products as lab-grown, but has never marketed around the concept, Strachan says.
    — Madeleine Schulz, Vogue, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Newlight says its retrofit can go onto an operating vessel within one to two weeks.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of says
Noun
  • Until then, readers should take these issues as interesting hypotheses and case discussions.
    — Steve Denning, Forbes.com, 31 Aug. 2026
  • The models have to suss them out by taking actions in the game, seeing what happens, forming hypotheses, and then taking more actions to test those theories.
    — Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of hypotheses
Verb
  • The group presumes the deal would need approval from Chicago’s City Council as well.
    — Talia Soglin, Chicago Tribune, 25 Aug. 2026
  • The Hoodoo tradition presumes a belief in a supernatural or spirit world that can be called upon for assistance, often through charms and incantations.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of presumes
Verb
  • However, Carrick believes Dorgu can operate in the position despite not yet playing him there and offers another alternative to the 31-year-old Shaw as United contend with Premier League and Champions League football.
    — Chris McKenna, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Dondo Iorlamen, the international director of CAPRO, believes Africa is well-positioned to send missionaries because Christianity is growing stronger there.
    — Nimi Princewill, CNN Money, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of believes
Verb
  • The study hypothesizes that the supergiant reversion may trigger a cool-down period.
    — Jay Kakade July 23, Refractor, 23 July 2026
  • The team hypothesizes that the bats anchored themselves to landmarks in their environment, such as the coastline, the experimenters’ tents, and their perches.
    — Yasemin Saplakoglu, Quanta Magazine, 21 Jan. 2026
Definition of hypothesizes

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Cite this Entry

“Postulates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/postulates. Accessed 6 Sep. 2026.

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