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

And a winning streak that began in the Iowa cornstalks and — seemingly against all odds — continued for nine games, ended with a 9-2 Phillies loss in Seattle.

— Charlotte Varnes, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026
Shein, which built its empire—seemingly overnight—on $5 tops and $10 dresses that cannily kept pace with rapidly shifting trends, did not respond to a request for comment.

— Jasmin Malik Chua, Footwear News, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of seemingly

Adverb

Rant Straw apparently took issue with the criticism and responded to Seixeiro directly on social media.

— Peter Chawaga, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026
The apparently illusory swings show the difficulty of accurately counting homeless people in the expanse of north Los Angeles County.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of apparently

Adverb

Yet behind the spectacle, the biggest symbols of their supposedly limitless riches were a facade to make their lives appear better than reality, according to the brothers’ own lawyers.

— Jonny Hallam, CNN Money, 27 Aug. 2026
The company’s Archewell production also maintains offices in Los Angeles, and staff are supposedly still there, trying to develop film and TV shows that Meghan and Harry could attach themselves to as producers.

— Martha Ross, Mercury News, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of supposedly

Adverb

Much of its aid has come in unsigned rulings on the emergency docket—ostensibly temporary and non-precedent-setting judgments that nevertheless carry serious consequences.

— Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026
The arrests, ostensibly for bribery, have sent a stark warning to Gazprom and the entire oil and gas industry, which faces a growing crisis of production and distribution as a result of war disruptions.

— Andrei Soldatov, Foreign Affairs, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of ostensibly

Adverb

His predictions mostly involved preaching to the AI evangelist choir, and his fervor for the tech evidently led him to throw caution to the winds of Wall Street.

— Frank Landymore, Futurism, 27 Aug. 2026
It was evidently lost amid the flood of congratulatory messages that arrived on campus that day, and Calhoun didn’t remember it.

— Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 23 Aug. 2026

Definition of evidently

Adverb

There are no Cubs players involved in the TikTok series, the Cubs told me, which is unfortunate since Crow-Armstrong has acting in his DNA — his mother and father are both actors — and probably would be at least as good as Damon.

— Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 1 Sep. 2026
Tom Even non-football fans can probably guess who this one is about.

— Beth Ann Mayer, Parents, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of probably

Adverb

In light of the strong growth and inflation figures, the BOK would likely need to continue to raise rates, albeit with some caution, said Frederic Neumann, chief Asia economist at HSBC.

— Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 27 Aug. 2026
The film will likely depict the Ploughman’s rise from obscurity to notorious outlaw, though most retellings of his story have been set centuries before the Peasants’ Revolt.

— Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 26 Aug. 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 1 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of putatively

adverb

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