supposed

adjective

sup·​posed sə-ˈpōzd 

senses 1b and 2a usually

sə-ˈpō-zəd 

senses 3 and 4 often

sə-ˈpōst 

1

a

: pretended

twelve hours are supposed to elapse between Acts I and II

—W. S. Gilbert

b

: alleged

trusted my supposed friends

2

a

: held as an opinion : believed

also : mistakenly believed : imagined

the sight which makes supposed terror true

—William Shakespeare

b

: considered probable or certain : expected

it was not supposed that everybody could master the technical aspects

—J. C. Murray

c

: understood

you will be supposed to refer to my grandaunt

—G. B. Shaw

3

: made or fashioned by intent or design

what's that button supposed to do

4

a

: required by or as if by authority

soldiers are supposed to obey their commanding officers

b

: given permission : permitted

was not supposed to have visitors

Synonyms

• apparent
• assumed
• evident
• ostensible
• ostensive
• presumed
• prima facie
• putative
• reputed
• seeming

Examples of supposed in a Sentence

this new computer program is a supposed improvement over the old one

Recent Examples on the Web

The supposed master negotiator is signaling his willingness to sacrifice Ukraine to Russia before formal negotiations even start. —Michael Schuman, The Atlantic, 19 Feb. 2025

The Danish government dismissed Trump’s idea and critics mocked his supposed naivety. —Ryan P. Burke, Orlando Sentinel, 14 Feb. 2025

For the Weeknd’s supposed swan song, his influences and collaborators are numerous and disparate. —Matthew Ismael Ruiz, Vulture, 12 Feb. 2025

But the night took a turn when Paul, aiming for a dream WrestleMania match, was eliminated by his supposed ally, John Cena. —Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 7 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2a

Phrases Containing supposed

• be supposed to
• what's that supposed to mean

Rhymes for supposed

• decomposed
• discomposed
• indisposed
• interposed
• juxtaposed
• predisposed
• presupposed
• reimposed
• superposed
• undisclosed
• undisposed
• unenclosed

Kids Definition

supposed

adjective

sup·​posed sə-ˈpōzd 

sense 1 usually

-ˈpō-zəd 

senses 2 & 3 often

-ˈpōst 

1

: believed to be true or real

a supposed cure

2

: considered probable or certain : expected

they are supposed to be here tomorrow

3

: required by or as if by authority

you are supposed to listen to your parents

supposedly

-ˈpō-zəd-lē 

 also  -ˈpōz-dlē

adverb