supposedly

adverb

sup·​pos·​ed·​ly sə-ˈpō-zəd-lē How to pronounce supposedly (audio)
also -ˈpōzd-lē
Synonyms of supposedlynext
: 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 most famous, perhaps, was of lung cancer patient David Prueitt, who swallowed a supposedly lethal dose of medication and awoke three days later. Teri Sforza, Oc Register, 9 Jan. 2026 But as Robby is (supposedly) on his way out, some fresh faces are navigating their very first day in the fray of the Pitt. Megan McCluskey, Time, 8 Jan. 2026 After a Tesla in Full Self-Driving mode suddenly swerved off of a busy highway and almost straight into a ditch, the owner of the vehicle praised the driving technology to high heaven for supposedly saving his skin. Frank Landymore, Futurism, 8 Jan. 2026 My NewsGuard colleague Chiara Vercellone, a senior staff analyst, identified five phony and out-of-context still images and two falsified videos supposedly depicting the military operation and its aftermath. James Warren, Chicago Tribune, 8 Jan. 2026 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 12 Jan. 2026.

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Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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