putative

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“The death of their father was extraordinarily traumatic, as you can imagine. That was compounded by this putative heir all of a sudden showing up and demanding money,” said Joseph Lipchitz, a litigator in Boston.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 30, 2025

Somewhat inexplicably, Eddie Fales, Baldwin’s ex-lover, was also there as his putative “secretary,” while his current lover, Lucien Happersberger, presumably because he was not American, was not.

From Slate • Aug. 18, 2025

Perhaps the largest events were the Watergate scandal and Nixon’s resignation, a putative victory for democracy and constitutionalism.

From Salon • Aug. 9, 2025

The putative legal challenge is based on a series of judgements by various United Nations bodies that the Chagos Islands belong to Mauritius.

From BBC • May 22, 2025

We listened vaguely to Our Father’s tale of the putative Mercedes truck.

From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver