presumptive
31
7.3
- adjective
- /prɪˈzʌmp.tɪv/
:
presunto
- One of the authors was Kevin Hassett, now an adviser to presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney.
- presumptive diagnosis
- presumptive positive
- presumptive malaria
Examples
-
The heir presumptive... reformed and on good terms with the head of his family.
-
Lady Arabella Galloway, heir presumptive to the House of Stuart, one of the wealthiest women in the world.
-
Maybe this time, he will have a leg up as the presumptive heir of the Obama legacy.
Blog text (3) -
I would offer the test results as presumptive evidence that Mr. Pollard... is the father and natural guardian of the minor.
-
In scenario 2, no potential area of agreement exists, since the presumptive seller needs to earn more than the presumptive purchaser may pay.
Academic text (2018) -
Based on these findings, we reached a presumptive diagnosis of a vallecular/epiglottic cyst.
Academic text (2005) -
Senator Barack Obama of Illinois, the presumptive Democratic nominee, has not agreed to participate.
Blog text (24) -
Now Suleiman has become Egypt's vice president and presumptive successor to President Hosni Mubarak.
Blog text (23) -
Based on the current poll results, she is the presumptive winner of the election.
-
The presumptive facts gathered from the investigation suggest that he is guilty.
Synonyms
786
1.0
There is a good chance it will happen
200
3.4
Likely to happen or be true but not certain
11
7.9
Thought by many to be true but not proved
1
4.8
Likely to be true based on the facts
Antonyms
Compounds
- Formal
1
8.6
A person likely to inherit a title but who loses that right if a more eligible child is born
How Likely
Surface Forms
Morphology
presumptive = presumption (transparent) = presume + ive
The adjective is directly formed from the noun 'presumption' (or verb 'presume') with the common adjectival suffix '-ive', so its meaning ('based on presumption; likely') is readily inferable.
Etymology
Presumptive comes from the verb presume, which joins pre- 'before' and a root that meant 'take', so it once meant 'taken beforehand'. That's why presumptive describes something you accept as likely or take to be true for now, even if it is not certain.