supposedly

adverb

sup·​pos·​ed·​ly sə-ˈpō-zəd-lē How to pronounce supposedly (audio)
 also  -ˈpōzd-lē
: as is supposed : according to what is or was said, claimed, or believed by some
a supposedly true story
a supposedly good restaurant
He had dozens of people around him, supposedly looking after him …Philip Norman
Daddy took me to the Legion, to shoot pool supposedly.Mary Karr

Examples of supposedly in a Sentence

she's supposedly too sick to come—or so she says
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The government responded with an affidavit, supposedly from a prominent general, saying that the land had to be cleared and fenced off for military reasons, to prevent terror attacks. Gershom Gorenberg, The Atlantic, 26 Feb. 2025 This season, Will Venable will lead the team having supposedly been hired without Reinsdorf putting his thumb on the scale. Daniel R. Epstein, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2025 Nor had the West anticipated that the Houthis in Yemen, a supposedly ragtag militia that had received a large arsenal of missiles from Tehran, would be capable of bringing global shipping in the Red Sea to a near standstill. Foreign Affairs, 25 Feb. 2025 Schneider prides himself on being in on every deal, and for now, the Browns are supposedly uninterested in trading All-Pro pass rusher Myles Garrett. Michael-Shawn Dugar, The Athletic, 24 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for supposedly

Word History

First Known Use

1597, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of supposedly was in 1597

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Supposedly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/supposedly. Accessed 4 Mar. 2025.

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