presumptive.

1. Accepted provisionally from available indications rather than conclusively established.

2. Expected to inherit a position unless a later event changes who has the superior claim.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• presumptive evidence
• presumptive diagnosis

On the page

The match provided presumptive evidence, not proof.

Usage notes

Primary category: analysis / argumentation / evidence. Forms: Normally non-gradable; no ordinary comparative or superlative. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Writing functions: evidence, inference, qualification. Commonness: moderately common.