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

In their place is a world reduced to a wasteland by an environmental cataclysm, supposedly caused by Korra herself. — Alison Herman, Variety, 9 Oct. 2026

The Middle East remains engulfed in conflict, and the region is nowhere near the peace this prize supposedly celebrates. — James Cirrone, FOXNews.com, 9 Oct. 2026

If anything, Trump’s escalating attempts to strong-arm people into a supposedly nicer term for AI makes him — and the industry itself — look awfully weak. — Adi Robertson, The Verge, 9 Oct. 2026

Even a pair of loofahs, presumably used, were supposedly left hanging in the bathroom. — Matthew Sedacca, Curbed, 8 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1597, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for supposedly

• composedly