presumptive
presumed and probable
STATISTICS
IN THE PRESS
The PRESUMPTIVE president-elect of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte, promised a "major rewriting of our constitution".
The Economist
The Economist
Did you
know?
presumptive
adjective
presumed and probable
(Collins Dictionary)
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The verb presume is similar to assume. You use both words to refer to an informal conclusion that you have made before you are completely sure whether its correct. You are making a type of educated guess.
The difference between the terms is how certain you are that your guess is correct. When you "assume" something, you believe that it is probable or likely, but have no proof. The verb "presume" comes from Latin "pre = before" and "sumre", meaning "to take".
To "presume" is to make a guess that is based on a reasonable amount of certainty. The most famous sentence using the word comes from explorer Sir Henry Morton Stanley who, when meeting a white man during his search for Dr David Livingston in deepest Africa, says, "Dr Livingston, I presume?"
In legal contexts, you say someone is "presumed innocent until proven guilty". The adjective form of presume is either "presumed" or "presumptive".
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SYNONYMS
probable, imaginable, likely, presupposed
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SMUGGLE OWAD into today's conversation
Say something like:
"Dr Fischer, the presumptive Chairman, will be making a statement about the new organisation this afternoon."
adjective
presumed and probable
(Collins Dictionary)
---
The verb presume is similar to assume. You use both words to refer to an informal conclusion that you have made before you are completely sure whether its correct. You are making a type of educated guess.
The difference between the terms is how certain you are that your guess is correct. When you "assume" something, you believe that it is probable or likely, but have no proof. The verb "presume" comes from Latin "pre = before" and "sumre", meaning "to take".
To "presume" is to make a guess that is based on a reasonable amount of certainty. The most famous sentence using the word comes from explorer Sir Henry Morton Stanley who, when meeting a white man during his search for Dr David Livingston in deepest Africa, says, "Dr Livingston, I presume?"
In legal contexts, you say someone is "presumed innocent until proven guilty". The adjective form of presume is either "presumed" or "presumptive".
---
SYNONYMS
probable, imaginable, likely, presupposed
---
SMUGGLE OWAD into today's conversation
Say something like:
"Dr Fischer, the presumptive Chairman, will be making a statement about the new organisation this afternoon."
