arguably

adverb ar·gu·ably \ ˈär-gyü-(ə-)blē \

|Updated on: 10 Jul 2018

Definition of arguably

: 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.

See arguably defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of arguably from the Web

Spider-Man would go on to become arguably the most indispensable and recognizable character in the Marvel universe, and Doctor Strange a member of its permanent pantheon.

— karen matthews and eric dalton, chicagotribune.com, "Steve Ditko, Spider-Man co-creator, dies at age 90," 7 July 2018
There may come a time when Morris, after stocking his spread offense with speedy recruits from Texas, molds Arkansas into a double-digit-game winner in arguably the most challenging division in the Power 5.

— chris johnson, SI.com, "First-Year Outlooks for the SEC's Six New Head Coaches in 2018," 6 July 2018
England, which finished second behind Belgium in Group G and plays Sweden on Saturday, has arguably ended up on the easier side of the draw after the two sides made big changes for their final group match, which Belgium won 1-0.

— BostonGlobe.com, "Belgium striker Romelu Lukaku welcomes challenge of playing Brazil," 6 July 2018
Coachella, arguably the most popular American music festival and certainly the one favored by celebrities, brought out 125,000 people last year.

— refinery29.com, "Black Women Dominate The Biggest Music Festival of the Year & No One Knows," 6 July 2018
Slava Voynov is arguably the best defenseman not playing in the NHL.

— kevin allen, USA TODAY, "NHL should do right thing again: Don't let Slava Voynov back," 5 July 2018
The Cavaliers had reached four consecutive NBA Finals, but the basketball relationship between James and the Cavs had arguably run its course.

— alex wong, The Atlantic, "What’s Different About LeBron’s Move to the Lakers," 4 July 2018
And even though your expectations of yourself and others are arguably too high, your expectations of your life are too low.

— heather havrilesky, The Cut, "‘I’m a Single Mom and My Friends Walk All Over Me’," 4 July 2018
The suburb of Edina—arguably the birthplace of modern suburbia as the home of America’s first enclosed shopping mall—witnessed heated debate over plans for a high-rise apartment building near the mall.

— jay walljasper, WIRED, "The Bitter Battle to Turn an Old Factory Into a 21st Century 'Eco-Village'," 3 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'arguably.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.