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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.
Those advocates have raised the possibility of supposedly undocumented immigrants – or visiting fans from abroad – being detained and deported without due process. Don Riddell, CNN Money, 5 Dec. 2025 Spotify Wrapped, released every December, is when users get to enjoy a summary of their listening habits from the year, including their top artists, songs, genres, podcasts and the musical quirks that supposedly define them. Daniella Gray, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Dec. 2025 Its hero is wide-eyed Elvira (Lea Myren), one of the supposedly pushy stepsisters who made the angelic (and, of course, gorgeous) Cinderella’s life such hell. Alison Willmore, Vulture, 1 Dec. 2025 So Porter is now the guy the State Police have supposedly doing a deep dive on the clowns, grifters and assorted gender-bending jokers that Maura Healey hands six-figure hack sinecures to — judicial nominees, college presidents, the heads of the veterans’ homes, etc. Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 29 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 8 Dec. 2025.

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