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
Philip NormanDaddy took me to the Legion, to shoot pool supposedly.—Mary Karr
Mary Karr
Synonyms
Examples of supposedly in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Firstly, many of the problems that a ban would supposedly fix have already been theoretically addressed in the Online Safety Act, which was passed less than a year ago.
—David Meyer, Fortune, 10 Apr. 2024
Biden has not used the tools supposedly available to compel Israel to stand down.
—Steven Simon, Foreign Affairs, 9 Apr. 2024
Governor-Elect Lucas Bouchard (Chris McNally) who is also Elizabeth's ex-fiancé, was shot at the beginning of his term as governor of Union City, and his shooter was (supposedly) identified within the hour.
—Esme Mazzeo, Peoplemag, 8 Apr. 2024
Using their increasingly effective drone army, the Ukrainians have made a good start at the former task, only to encounter bizarre opposition from the Biden administration, which supposedly wants to stop Russian oil exports through sanctions.
—Robert Zubrin, National Review, 7 Apr. 2024
Rylance won an Oscar as mild-mannered minor agent Rudolf Abel, while Hanks (as real-life lawyer James B. Donovan) endures mounting suspicion for maintaining supposedly sacred American principles, facing career setbacks and death threats from his own countrymen.
—Dennis Perkins, EW.com, 5 Apr. 2024
Put it another way: Gordon Hayward, derided throughout much of his Hornets career for supposedly being hurt all the time before he got traded, has played in 40 more games than Ball over the past two seasons.
—Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 5 Apr. 2024
Pope Francis issued an apostolic letter in 2019 that once again tightly restricted the Traditional Latin Mass, supposedly to foster unity.
—Patrick Neas, Kansas City Star, 29 Mar. 2024
The authors, Andrew G. Biggs of the American Enterprise Institute and Alicia H. Munnell of Boston College’s Carroll School of Management, argue that such a shift could address looming shortfalls in Social Security funding, supposedly ensuring its viability for future generations.
—Brian Menickella, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
David Meyer, Fortune, 10 Apr. 2024
Biden has not used the tools supposedly available to compel Israel to stand down.
—Steven Simon, Foreign Affairs, 9 Apr. 2024
Governor-Elect Lucas Bouchard (Chris McNally) who is also Elizabeth's ex-fiancé, was shot at the beginning of his term as governor of Union City, and his shooter was (supposedly) identified within the hour.
—Esme Mazzeo, Peoplemag, 8 Apr. 2024
Using their increasingly effective drone army, the Ukrainians have made a good start at the former task, only to encounter bizarre opposition from the Biden administration, which supposedly wants to stop Russian oil exports through sanctions.
—Robert Zubrin, National Review, 7 Apr. 2024
Rylance won an Oscar as mild-mannered minor agent Rudolf Abel, while Hanks (as real-life lawyer James B. Donovan) endures mounting suspicion for maintaining supposedly sacred American principles, facing career setbacks and death threats from his own countrymen.
—Dennis Perkins, EW.com, 5 Apr. 2024
Put it another way: Gordon Hayward, derided throughout much of his Hornets career for supposedly being hurt all the time before he got traded, has played in 40 more games than Ball over the past two seasons.
—Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 5 Apr. 2024
Pope Francis issued an apostolic letter in 2019 that once again tightly restricted the Traditional Latin Mass, supposedly to foster unity.
—Patrick Neas, Kansas City Star, 29 Mar. 2024
The authors, Andrew G. Biggs of the American Enterprise Institute and Alicia H. Munnell of Boston College’s Carroll School of Management, argue that such a shift could address looming shortfalls in Social Security funding, supposedly ensuring its viability for future generations.
—Brian Menickella, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'supposedly.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1597, in the meaning defined above
Articles Related to supposedly
Dictionary Entries Near supposedly
Cite this Entry
“Supposedly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/supposedly. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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More from Merriam-Webster on supposedly
Nglish: Translation of supposedly for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of supposedly for Arabic Speakers
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