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

Relevance

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 The majority in Landor said that the conditions in those spending programs generally couldn’t be enforced against the state officers who are supposedly bound by those conditions. — Leah Litman, The Atlantic, 26 June 2026 Still, the tour doesn’t shy away from the mission’s sins over its 250 years, demystifying how supposedly carefree life was during the height of its operations before the United States conquered Mexico. — Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 4 July 2026 There's an apocryphal story about its creations; supposedly Kryptonite was invented so Superman's voice actor Bud Collyer could take vacations while the Man of Steel was incapacitated. — James Grebey, Time, 26 June 2026 Recent reporting from both The New York Times and The New York Post claim that the first gathering will include a group of about 100 people, while the second is supposedly a larger celebration including 1,000 to 2,000 guests. — Hannah Malach, InStyle, 1 July 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
  • Dark clouds hovered around the stadium just before kickoff, threatening to delay the start of the game, but Mother Nature apparently is a soccer fan, because the storm veered away.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 4 July 2026
  • They are affixed to the inky blue background, yet its maker(s), who apparently stitched each luminary on by hand, failed to catch all the edges on many of the stars – leaving another clue.
    — Rebekah Riess, CNN Money, 4 July 2026
Definition of apparently
Adverb
  • In the final minute of stoppage time to end the first half, Morocco's Achraf Hakimi curved his free kick right in front of the goal, seemingly just one perfect touch away from a goal.
    — Andrew Greif, NBC news, 30 June 2026
  • For now, however, the Fed is poised to wait and see whether the seemingly fragile truce between the United States and Iran holds up, allowing inflation to ease.
    — Bryan Mena, CNN Money, 30 June 2026
Definition of seemingly
Adverb
  • Orioles manager Craig Albernaz came to the mound ostensibly to pull his starter, who had been brilliant most of the day, retiring the first 12 batters of the game in order before a walk and a home run by Spencer Steer in the fifth.
    — C. Trent Rosecrans, New York Times, 6 July 2026
  • The guests themselves were given very little information in the lead-up to the wedding, ostensibly to prevent leaks.
    — Tyler Foggatt, New Yorker, 4 July 2026
Definition of ostensibly
Adverb
  • There, the hotel’s overarching theme of kisetsukan, meaning seasonal awareness, is felt most evidently at Iñaki.
    — Kathryn Romeyn, Travel + Leisure, 7 July 2026
  • That list includes Swift's longtime pal Ed Sheeran, who is evidently in New York already.
    — Brendan Morrow, USA Today, 3 July 2026
Definition of evidently
Adverb
  • The supermodel was seen leaving a SoHo building Friday afternoon, presumably on her way to Swift's Madison Square Garden to Travis Kelce.
    — Jennifer McClellan, USA Today, 4 July 2026
  • Kuo also confirms that the 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max (plus, presumably, the foldable iPhone) will have enough RAM for these top-flight extras.
    — David Phelan, Forbes.com, 4 July 2026
Definition of presumably
Adverb
  • The concept would probably face opposition from Altadenans who have rallied by the hundreds to oppose building permits for multiple homes on individual parcels.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2026
  • But that’s probably more a 2027 story than a 2026 one, as both governments look to see the path oil prices take, noted Kaneva.
    — David Goldman, CNN Money, 6 July 2026
Definition of probably

Browse Nearby Words

supposed
supposedly
supposes
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Supposedly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/supposedly. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on supposedly

Nglish: Translation of supposedly for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All