supposedly

adverb

sup·​pos·​ed·​ly sə-ˈpō-zəd-lē How to pronounce supposedly (audio)
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

Examples of supposedly in a Sentence

she's supposedly too sick to come—or so she says
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The fish then eat away at dead skin cells and calluses, leaving their feet supposedly silky and smooth. Charles Trepany, USA Today, 22 Nov. 2025 The movie’s flattery of the audience, and of our supposedly superior conscience, is an expression of the same contempt. Justin Chang, New Yorker, 20 Nov. 2025 Wood is one of the nicest and most good-natured people in the game, an affable and hugely likeable north-easterner with nothing of the mean and nasty traits supposedly inherent in fast bowlers. Paul Newman, New York Times, 19 Nov. 2025 There are three such cardinal winds, each of them gods and all of them supposedly siblings, three male and the fourth, a southeasterly that tends to blow in the wet winter season, female. Big Think, 18 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for supposedly

Word History

First Known Use

1597, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of supposedly was in 1597

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Supposedly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/supposedly. Accessed 25 Nov. 2025.

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