supposed

sup·posed

adjective \sə-ˈpōzd; 1b & 2a usually -ˈpō-zəd, 3 & 4 often -ˈpōst\

Definition of SUPPOSED

1

a : pretended <twelve hours are supposed to elapse between Acts I and II — A. S. Sullivan>

b : alleged <trusted my supposed friends>

2

a : held as an opinion : believed; also : mistakenly believed : imagined <the sight which makes supposed terror true — 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>

— sup·pos·ed·ly \-ˈpō-zəd-lē also -ˈpōzd-lē\ adverb

Examples of SUPPOSED

1. <this new computer program is a supposed improvement over the old one>

First Known Use of SUPPOSED

1566

Related to SUPPOSED

Synonyms

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

Related Words

demonstrable, external, outward, superficial, visible; conceivable, plausible, possible, supposable; likely, probable; clear, distinct, manifest, obvious, plain; deceptive, delusive, delusory, illusive, illusory, imaginary; misleading, specious; fake, faked, feigned, phony (also phoney), pretended, pseudo, put-on; alleged, claimed, professed, purported, so-called

Near Antonyms

hidden, inapparent; implausible, impossible, improbable, inconceivable, unlikely; actual, authenticated, confirmed, corroborated, established, genuine, real, substantiated, sure, valid, validated, verified

Rhymes with SUPPOSED

bluenosed, composed, exposed, hard-nosed, opposed, pug-nosed, sharp-nosed, snub-nosed, stenosed, unclosed