arguably

adverb

ar·​gu·​ably ˈär-gyü-(ə-)blē How to pronounce arguably (audio)
: 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 Gucci embraced a swaggering 1970s vibe for spring while Giorgio Armani, who arguably pioneered this languid look some four decades ago, appeared startlingly of the moment with much the same approach. Max Berlinger, Robb Report, 21 Apr. 2024 Nadella has arguably been the best corporate succession choice, regardless of industry, in years or perhaps decades. Bygeoff Colvin, Fortune, 20 Apr. 2024 Clearly, this T-shirt was an attempt at humor, arguably even satire. Judith Martin, The Mercury News, 19 Apr. 2024 But like Highsmith before him, he’s taken something sublime and transformed it for his own purposes, with a result that is, arguably, better than the original. Hillary Kelly, The Atlantic, 19 Apr. 2024 In 2016, the defection of many blue-collar voters and union members in those states was arguably the decisive factor in Hillary Clinton’s defeat. Eyal Press, The New Yorker, 18 Apr. 2024 However, the cybercriminals, who have links back to Nigerian prince email scams, are arguably their most open on Telegram. Matt Burgess, WIRED, 18 Apr. 2024 Despite the recent change in the tone of economic news coverage, the broad narrative of the past few years is arguably still awry. John Cassidy, The New Yorker, 9 Apr. 2024 Downey’s Iron Man met his fate in 2019’s Avengers: Endgame in what was arguably the most emotionally devastating moment in the 33-film Marvel Cinematic Universe. James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Apr. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'arguably.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1871, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of arguably was in 1871

Dictionary Entries Near arguably

Cite this Entry

“Arguably.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/arguably. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.

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