postulate

Syllables: pos·tu·lateUK/ˈpɒstjʊlət//ˈpɑst͡ʃələt/

postulate noun: something assumed without proof as being self-evident or generally accepted, especially when used as a basis for an argument. Sometimes distinguished from axioms as being relevant to a particular science or context, rather than universally true, and following from other axioms rather than being an absolute assumption. Also the alternative form of postulated.

Noun

postulate (plural postulates)

Something assumed without proof as being self-evident or generally accepted, especially when used as a basis for an argument. Sometimes distinguished from axioms as being relevant to a particular science or context, rather than universally true, and following from other axioms rather than being an absolute assumption.
A fundamental element; a basic principle.
An axiom.
A requirement; a prerequisite.

Verb

UK/ˈpɒstjʊleɪt/US/ˈpɑst͡ʃəˌleɪt/

postulate (third-person singular simple present postulates, present participle postulating, simple past and past participle postulated)

To assume as a truthful or accurate premise or axiom, especially as a basis of an argument.
- But this pleasure or pain is postulated to come to us accompanied by the idea of an external cause; […]1883, Benedictus de Spinoza, translated by R. H. M. Elwes, Ethics, Part 3, Prop. XXII
- [T]he attempt to arrive at a physical explanation of existence led the Ionian thinkers to postulate various primal elements or simply the infinite τὸ ἀπειρον.1911, Infinite, Encyclopædia Britannica
(ambitransitive, historical) To appoint or request one's appointment to an ecclesiastical office.
- [A]lthough Douglas was postulated to it [the Abbacy of Arbroath], and signed letters and papers under this designation his nomination […] was never completed.1874, John Small, editor, The Poetical Works of Gavin Douglas, Bishop of Dunkeld, volume 1, page xvi
(ambitransitive, obsolete) To request, demand or claim for oneself.

Also used as

postulate is also the alternative form of postulated.

postulate meaning in Tagalog and Arabic

postulate in Tagalog

something assumed without proof as being self-evident or generally accepted: batayang palagay

postulate in Arabic

something assumed without proof as being self-evident or generally accepted: مُسَلَّم musallam

Examples of postulate in a sentence

Some postulate that after a nuclear war, humanity would fall into a state of barbarianism.
On what ground can we postulate them in order to define truth?
In that case we would be better off maximizing, or perhaps "mediumizing", the numbers of postulated changes.

All 40 example sentences with postulate

Forms of postulate

Noun
plural	postulates
Verb
third-person singular present	postulates
present participle	postulating
past participle	postulated
past	postulated

Past tense of postulate: postulated

Plural of postulate: postulates

Origin of postulate

Borrowed from Latin postulātum, a neuter nominalization of postulātus, perfect passive participle of postulō, possibly from poscō. See -ate (noun-forming suffix) for more. Cognate with French postulat.

From Latin postulātus, perfect passive participle of postulō (“to request”), see -ate (verb-forming suffix) for more. Cognate with French postuler.

From Latin postulātus, perfect passive participle of postulō (“to request”), see -ate (adjective-forming suffix) for more.

Words formed from postulate

Questions about postulate

What does postulate mean?: Postulate means something assumed without proof as being self-evident or generally accepted, especially when used as a basis for an argument. Sometimes distinguished from axioms as being relevant to a particular science or context, rather than universally true, and following from other axioms rather than being an absolute assumption.
What is postulate in Tagalog?: Postulate in Tagalog is batayang palagay. See Postulate meaning in Tagalog.
What part of speech is postulate?: Postulate can be a noun or a verb.
How do you pronounce postulate?: Postulate is pronounced /ˈpɒstjʊlət/ (UK).
What is the plural of postulate?: The plural of postulate is postulates.

Words near postulate in the dictionary

Adapted from Wiktionary: postulate (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated: 2026-09-02

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: en-us-postulate-noun.ogg, en-au-postulate.ogg.

Cite this entry: “postulate.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/postulate. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.