arguably

adverb

ar·​gu·​ably ˈär-gyü-(ə-)blē 

: as may be argued or shown by argument

an arguably effective strategy

—used to say that a statement is very possibly true even if it is not certainly true

He was arguably the greatest writer of his era.

Examples of arguably in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

This is an astonishing early feat in the widely Democratic state, which is arguably America's most influential, where the primary's top two vote-getters, regardless of party affiliation, could advance to the general election in November. —Terry Collins, USA Today, 10 Apr. 2026

Milton, a Whichita State signee, played a huge role in what was arguably North Crowley girls basketball’s best season. —Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 Apr. 2026

Lowry made four birdies on the first nine, playing arguably his best golf since the late loss at the Cognizant Classic earlier this spring in Florida. —Justin Ray, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2026

While City Lights couldn’t get the rights to the gender-swapping revival that’s been making the rounds of late, the original show is arguably still viable after almost 60 years. —Anne Gelhaus, Mercury News, 10 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1851, in the meaning defined above