Definition of "putative" [pu•ta•tive]

• Generally regarded as such; supposed. See Synonyms at supposed. (adjective)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Sarah Palin and Rudy Giuliani showed up in New Hampshire on the former Massachusetts governor's magical day, underscoring why Romney is plagued by the word "putative," which almost always appears before "front-runner.""
• "I think the major problem with Europe today is a lack of democracy, even in putative democratic countries."
• "Just because I disagree with a certain putative means to reduce the number of abortions (and it is hardly well established that government distribution of birth control reduces the number of abortions), it does not follow that I am not actually prolife."