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presumably

adverb

pri-ˈzü-mə-blē How to pronounce presumably (audio)
Definition of presumablynext
1
as in apparently
to all outward appearances presumably he's going on the trip for business reasons, but we have our doubts

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in likely
by reasonable assumption presumably he'll come later

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of presumably In the final episode, Wuornos is seen talking with a woman — presumably her longtime friend Dawn Botkins, who really did spend the serial killer’s last hours with her. — Elisabeth Garber-Paul, Rolling Stone, 23 Sep. 2026 As heads of their respective agencies, Vought and Bhattacharya presumably have other duties and would be hard-pressed to give each proposal a serious evaluation. — John Timmer, ArsTechnica, 21 Sep. 2026 Those costs could presumably be passed onto to consumers too. — Keith Laing, USA Today, 17 Sep. 2026 As for Kiffin's interesting mind, even if LSU was not technically involved in the case, most of the football players involved in the Baton Rouge court were presumably headed to LSU. — Trey Wallace Outkick, FOXNews.com, 17 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for presumably
Recent Examples of Synonyms for presumably
  1. apparently
  2. likely
  3. seemingly
  4. probably
  5. supposedly
  6. perhaps
  7. ostensibly
  8. maybe
Adverb
  • Mid-round, golfers head to the Halfway House for burger dogs and fish tacos, and the Links Margarita has apparently achieved something close to cult status among regulars.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 26 Sep. 2026
  • The Soyuz rocket failure was apparently caused by a fire at the base of the booster about a minute before liftoff, according to the Encyclopedia Astronautica.
    — Tariq Malik, Space.com, 26 Sep. 2026
Definition of apparently
Adverb
  • The National Weather Service said Tropical Storm Nolo would likely strengthen before closing in on the Big Island on Friday or Saturday.
    — MEGAN JANETSKY, Arkansas Online, 24 Sep. 2026
  • The structure of the deal leaves the studio, which declined to comment, with more than $80 billion in debt and roughly $3 billion in annual free cash flow, figures that will likely handicap the studio’s operations moving forward.
    — Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of likely
Adverb
  • The difference between the two, is that Nikola seemingly has to be motivated to maximize his potential.
    — Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 20 Sep. 2026
  • But unlike the seemingly different ideas that Wilson is able to find absurd and poignant connections between in his documentaries, his other project while making the film is one that almost makes too much sense.
    — Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of seemingly
Adverb
  • These departures would have probably been excused had the show captured the imagination of the audience.
    — Sergio Pereira, Space.com, 26 Sep. 2026
  • That means an electrician or pipefitter in Birmingham will probably have more of a buyer’s market than one in Boston.
    — Kevin Williams, CNBC, 26 Sep. 2026
Definition of probably
Adverb
  • The question this decision supposedly turns on had quietly stopped being the right one.
    — Aditi Khullar, Forbes.com, 23 Sep. 2026
  • Not just the supposedly existential risk that AI leaders started recently claiming required a slowdown, but also risks from bad actors like hackers or terrorists wielding AI to attack either country’s infrastructure.
    — Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of supposedly
Adverb
  • This was four months after Schachtel’s piece appeared, perhaps as an audition.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2026
  • Come to think of it, there were a lot of questionable calls/no-calls from the officiating crew during Saturday night's game in Jordan Hare, perhaps Fralick was one of the refs trying desperately to gift the Tigers a win to save his skin.
    — Austin Perry OutKick, FOXNews.com, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of perhaps
Adverb
  • The Taliban’s return to power was swift, though preventing it had ostensibly been the entire point of the decades-long occupation, the bombs, the hundreds of thousands of lives lost.
    — Emily Watlington, ARTnews.com, 24 Sep. 2026
  • In the south, an array of militias and armed groups arose over the years, ostensibly to back the government against the rebels.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of ostensibly
Adverb
  • But maybe that’s just an American’s take on a certain type of French cooking.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Sep. 2026
  • Beyond that range, store sales suffer, maybe because managers can’t perform their other duties.
    — Daniel E. Chavez, The Conversation, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of maybe

Browse Nearby Words

presto
presumably
presume
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Presumably.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/presumably. Accessed 27 Sep. 2026.

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