supposedly

adverb

sup·​pos·​ed·​ly sə-ˈpō-zəd-lē 

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

Synonyms of supposedly

• apparently
• seemingly
• ostensibly
• evidently
• presumably
• probably

Examples of supposedly in a Sentence

she's supposedly too sick to come—or so she says

Recent Examples on the Web

What Andert argues in his video is that LINXS has effectively ransomed LAX to the tune of $880 million — so far — to complete the supposedly less than 3 percent that remains to be built on the project. — Oren Peleg, HollywoodReporter, 7 Aug. 2026

On October 3, 1995, after an eight-month trial that featured allegations of police planting evidence and gloves that Simpson supposedly wore the night of the murders not fitting him, Simpson was acquitted. — Tracy Grant, Encyclopedia Britannica, 7 Aug. 2026

However, given the legal limitations, studies like the Stanford one are observational and limited to small groups, and the science behind ibogaine’s supposedly miraculous workings remains thin. — Michelle Lhooq, New Yorker, 7 Aug. 2026

In January, Governor Gavin Newsom presented his state budget as a plan that would supposedly address affordability and support Californians. — Tony Strickland, Oc Register, 7 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1597, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for supposedly

• composedly