alleged

adjective

al·​leged ə-ˈlejd  -ˈle-jəd 

1

: accused but not proven or convicted

an alleged burglar

2

: asserted to be true or to exist

an alleged miracle

an alleged conspiracy

3

: questionably true or of a specified kind : supposed, so-called

bought an alleged antique vase

allegedly

ə-ˈle-jəd-lē 

adverb

She allegedly stole the money. [=she is alleged to have stolen the money]

Examples of alleged in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Chigvintsev subsequently canceled the request for assistance, but sheriff’s deputies turned up anyway and took him into custody, based on deputies seeing a visible injury on the alleged victim, a sheriff’s spokesperson said. —Martha Ross, The Mercury News, 7 Nov. 2024

The aim of the investigation was to discover how the alleged tax fraud had been implemented internally. —Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 5 Nov. 2024

An independent probe by Franchise concluded that the company had no involvement in—nor any knowledge of—Kahn’s alleged misconduct, according to Orlofsky. —Vicki M. Young, Sourcing Journal, 4 Nov. 2024

Ultimately, this incident highlighted the rising issue of alleged deed fraud. —Claire Pedersen, ABC News, 31 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

from past participle of allege

First Known Use

1509, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Legal Definition

alleged

adjective

al·​leged ə-ˈlejd, -ˈle-jəd 

1

: asserted to be true

especially : stated in an allegation

alleged crimes

2

: accused but not yet proven or convicted

trial of alleged war criminals

—R. G. Neumann