vermutet

Vermutet is the past participle of the German verb vermuten, which means to suppose, assume, or suspect. In addition to its verbal use, vermutet also functions as an adjective to describe something that is believed or hypothesized rather than confirmed.

As an attributive adjective, vermutet agrees with the noun: eine vermutete Ursache, eine vermutete Erklärung. Predicatively, it is often replaced by the periphrastic form with wird vermutet: Es wird vermutet, dass ... (“It is suspected that ...”). In everyday and formal German, vermutet signals a tentative interpretation based on available evidence rather than a proven fact.

Common contexts for vermutet include journalism, scientific writing, and legal or investigative reporting, where statements are framed as hypotheses or provisional conclusions. For example: Die vermutete Ursache des Ausfalls wird weiter untersucht. Der Bericht nennt eine vermutete Verbindung zwischen den Ereignissen. In contrast to this, the adverb form vermutlicherweise or the adjective vermutet is used to convey likelihood or probability without asserting certainty.

Etymology and related terms: vermutet derives from the verb vermuten, which denotes forming an opinion about something not yet established. The related noun is Vermutung, meaning a suspicion or hypothesis, and the adverb vermutetlich or vermutlicherweise is used to express a notion of likely rather than certain.

Notes: Vermutet should not be confused with vermut—an unrelated term in German that can refer to a type of vermouth in some languages; in German, vermut is typically associated with the verb vermuten and the noun Vermutung.