PUTATIVELY Synonyms: 42 Similar and Opposite Words

putatively

adverb

as in seemingly

to all outward appearances the lake's putatively pristine water is actually crawling with microorganisms that can wreak havoc with your gastrointestinal system

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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 putatively Miller has long been concerned with some of the actions taken after 9/11, putatively in her name, against Muslims in general. — Gloria Pazmino, CNN Money, 8 Aug. 2026 The eight-story glass building at the center of the complex, which had putatively been devoted to vaccine manufacturing, was in fact a highly classified defense facility. — Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 25 July 2026 Such agencies are putatively created to provide expert advice to the president on complex issues such as nuclear technology and consumer product safety. — Laurent Belsie, Christian Science Monitor, 29 June 2026 But with supposedly or putatively race-neutral methods, for 100 years, the right to vote was denied. — CBS News, 4 May 2026 From the perspective of a world of increasingly unimaginable maldistribution of resources, cascading ecological collapse, a genocide cheered on by a putatively liberal order, both are barbarisms. — Literary Hub, 7 Nov. 2025 Over the next several years, Leo, through the Judicial Crisis Network, continued to back conservative candidates in Wisconsin, where judicial elections are, putatively, nonpartisan. — Andy Kroll, ProPublica, 11 Oct. 2023

Recent Examples of Synonyms for putatively

Adverb

Especially when your polling is no doubt telling you that progressives and anti-capitalists will struggle to trust any billionaire, however seemingly benign.

— The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 18 Oct. 2026
For some, the seemingly lax federal regulation and pending litigation around prediction markets raised alarm bells.

— Hannah Keyser, CNN Money, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of seemingly

Adverb

The district judge confined Biddy and most of the Black children in the county jail, ostensibly for their own protection from their unscrupulous enslaver.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 Oct. 2026
The demonstrators are demanding the resignation of India’s chief election commissioner and questioning the credibility of India’s ostensibly independent institutions.

— Pratap Bhanu Mehta, Foreign Affairs, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of ostensibly

Adverb

As of now, Game 6 would (presumably) take place at the much smaller Gateway Center Arena.

— Tyler Estep, AJC.com, 16 Oct. 2026
According to Vogue, on display in the sunroom (presumably where Dietrich is pictured here) was a piece called Zebra and Black Panther With Cacti, signed by the artist Charles Baskerville.

— Juliana Ukiomogbe, Architectural Digest, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of presumably

Adverb

After all, Jonathan, who was probably alive for President Andrew Jackson's second inauguration in 1833, is still thriving.

— KYLE MELNICK THE WASHINGTON POST, Arkansas Online, 18 Oct. 2026
But being an editor probably makes writing first drafts harder, or at least slower.

— Lola Seaton, The New York Review of Books, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of probably

Adverb

Authorities then located his body, which had head injuries that were likely caused by blunt objects, according to officials.

— Adam Sabes, FOXNews.com, 14 Oct. 2026
Instead, the dual-garage door — Double Shift fans likely remember it — will open during mild weather days.

— Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of likely

Browse Nearby Words

putative

putatively

put away

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“Putatively.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/putatively. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of putatively

adverb

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