supposedly

adverb

sə-ˈpō-zəd-lē How to pronounce supposedly (audio)
Definition of supposedlynext
as in apparently
to all outward appearances she's supposedly too sick to come—or so she says

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 supposedly If anything, Trump’s escalating attempts to strong-arm people into a supposedly nicer term for AI makes him — and the industry itself — look awfully weak. — Adi Robertson, The Verge, 9 Oct. 2026 Even a pair of loofahs, presumably used, were supposedly left hanging in the bathroom. — Matthew Sedacca, Curbed, 8 Oct. 2026 Paper 109 supposedly uses similar methods to find new, faster ways to multiply integers together, too. — Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 8 Oct. 2026 And that was before what looms Tuesday, when Sale can put the reigning two-time champion Dodgers — the team that supposedly broke baseball — on the brink of a very, very long offseason. — Gabriel Burns, AJC.com, 5 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for supposedly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for supposedly
  1. apparently
  2. seemingly
  3. ostensibly
  4. evidently
  5. presumably
  6. probably
Adverb
  • But the market for all things Holmes apparently still hasn’t been saturated.
    — Brent Lang, IndieWire, 16 Oct. 2026
  • It is apparently filled with hateful thoughts toward non-white people, especially those who are Indian.
    — Asal Rezaei, CBS News, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of apparently
Adverb
  • Especially when your polling is no doubt telling you that progressives and anti-capitalists will struggle to trust any billionaire, however seemingly benign.
    — The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 18 Oct. 2026
  • For some, the seemingly lax federal regulation and pending litigation around prediction markets raised alarm bells.
    — Hannah Keyser, CNN Money, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of seemingly
Adverb
  • The district judge confined Biddy and most of the Black children in the county jail, ostensibly for their own protection from their unscrupulous enslaver.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 Oct. 2026
  • The demonstrators are demanding the resignation of India’s chief election commissioner and questioning the credibility of India’s ostensibly independent institutions.
    — Pratap Bhanu Mehta, Foreign Affairs, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of ostensibly
Adverb
  • After all, the brain evidently accomplishes this task far more efficiently than transformers do.
    — Quanta Magazine, Quanta Magazine, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Despite his insistence on stability, Towriss evidently disagreed.
    — Jason Barlow, Robb Report, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of evidently
Adverb
  • As of now, Game 6 would (presumably) take place at the much smaller Gateway Center Arena.
    — Tyler Estep, AJC.com, 16 Oct. 2026
  • According to Vogue, on display in the sunroom (presumably where Dietrich is pictured here) was a piece called Zebra and Black Panther With Cacti, signed by the artist Charles Baskerville.
    — Juliana Ukiomogbe, Architectural Digest, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of presumably
Adverb
  • After all, Jonathan, who was probably alive for President Andrew Jackson's second inauguration in 1833, is still thriving.
    — KYLE MELNICK THE WASHINGTON POST, Arkansas Online, 18 Oct. 2026
  • But being an editor probably makes writing first drafts harder, or at least slower.
    — Lola Seaton, The New York Review of Books, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of probably

Browse Nearby Words

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supposedly
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Cite this Entry

“Supposedly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/supposedly. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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