putatively.

On the basis of an accepted assumption or supposition rather than established proof.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• putatively independent
• putatively neutral

On the page

The putatively independent committee shared several advisers with the agency it reviewed.

The analysis compared putatively neutral descriptions with the choices they concealed.

Usage notes

Primary category: academic / formal. Forms: Invariable adverb; no plural or tense forms. Compare degree only where the particular use naturally permits it. 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: qualification, classification. Disciplines: academic writing, research, argumentation. Commonness: uncommon.