postulate has definitions from the field of logic
1
[ verb ] maintain or assert

Synonyms

contend

Examples

"He contended that Communism had no future"

Used in print

(Frank Oppenheimer, "Science and Fear-- A Discussion...)

The frequently postulated antique worry that the daylight hours might dwindle to complete darkness apparently gave_rise to a ritual and celebration which we still recognize .

Related terms

claim contention

2
[ noun ] (logic) a proposition that is accepted as true in order to provide a basis for logical reasoning

Synonyms

posit

Used in print

(Musical America, LXXXI:5...)

His various aesthetic postulates remain as landmarks of a_house_divided_against_itself : Supra_Expressionism , Neo Paganism , Neo_Classicism , Neo_Romanticism , Neo_Jazz , Neo Ecclesiasticism , Neo Popularism , and most_recently , Post Serialism - all competing with each other within one composer !

3
[ verb ] take as a given; assume as a postulate or axiom

Synonyms

posit

Examples

"He posited three basic laws of nature"

Used in print

(Schuyler Cammann, "The Magic Square of Three in...)

This trend has often been ascribed to the cult of the Five Elements itself , as though they had served as the base for all the rest ; but why did the Old Chinese postulate five elements , when the Ancient Near East - which may have initiated the idea that natural elements exerted influence in human life and activities - recognized only four ?

4
[ verb ] require as useful, just, or proper

Examples

"It takes nerve to do what she did" "success usually requires hard work" "This job asks a lot of patience and skill" "This position demands a lot of personal sacrifice" "This dinner calls for a spectacular dessert"

*