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.
This would supposedly show Palestinians that there was a better answer than Hamas. Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 25 Oct. 2025 The White House Historical Association says that Jackson, supposedly lying in his bed in the Rose Room, lets out a guttural laugh that has been heard in the White House since the 1860s. James Powel, USA Today, 24 Oct. 2025 Helena, meanwhile, was supposedly a mystic receiving directions from spiritual masters hidden in the Himalayas. Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 24 Oct. 2025 Among the 65 submissions was one that detailed the discovery of a 1930s-era oil can from Fresno that was supposedly uncovered at SDSU during an on-campus building project. Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Oct. 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

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Cite this Entry

“Supposedly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/supposedly. Accessed 1 Nov. 2025.

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