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 And Bell supposedly plays with power and can fight through contact. — Omar Kelly august 25, Miami Herald, 25 Aug. 2026 In the family lore, there was supposedly a wealthy grandfather in Thailand, who left his young wife and children behind in China and never came back. — ABC News, 25 Aug. 2026 However, this supposedly inherent relationship doesn’t necessarily hold. — Jo MacKiewicz, The Conversation, 25 Aug. 2026 The supposedly knowing and intending AI now becomes a political actor. — Hamilton Mann, Forbes.com, 23 Aug. 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
  • Rant Straw apparently took issue with the criticism and responded to Seixeiro directly on social media.
    — Peter Chawaga, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026
  • The apparently illusory swings show the difficulty of accurately counting homeless people in the expanse of north Los Angeles County.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of apparently
Adverb
  • And a winning streak that began in the Iowa cornstalks and — seemingly against all odds — continued for nine games, ended with a 9-2 Phillies loss in Seattle.
    — Charlotte Varnes, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Shein, which built its empire—seemingly overnight—on $5 tops and $10 dresses that cannily kept pace with rapidly shifting trends, did not respond to a request for comment.
    — Jasmin Malik Chua, Footwear News, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of seemingly
Adverb
  • Much of its aid has come in unsigned rulings on the emergency docket—ostensibly temporary and non-precedent-setting judgments that nevertheless carry serious consequences.
    — Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026
  • The arrests, ostensibly for bribery, have sent a stark warning to Gazprom and the entire oil and gas industry, which faces a growing crisis of production and distribution as a result of war disruptions.
    — Andrei Soldatov, Foreign Affairs, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of ostensibly
Adverb
  • His predictions mostly involved preaching to the AI evangelist choir, and his fervor for the tech evidently led him to throw caution to the winds of Wall Street.
    — Frank Landymore, Futurism, 27 Aug. 2026
  • It was evidently lost amid the flood of congratulatory messages that arrived on campus that day, and Calhoun didn’t remember it.
    — Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of evidently
Adverb
  • Cornerbacks Chau Smith-Wade and Akayleb Evans — both of whom were presumably in a nickel corner battle with Corey Thornton all camp.
    — Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Everybody is ordered into the silos immediately — and, presumably, forever.
    — Noel Murray, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of presumably
Adverb
  • There are no Cubs players involved in the TikTok series, the Cubs told me, which is unfortunate since Crow-Armstrong has acting in his DNA — his mother and father are both actors — and probably would be at least as good as Damon.
    — Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Tom Even non-football fans can probably guess who this one is about.
    — Beth Ann Mayer, Parents, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of probably

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supposedly
supposes
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Cite this Entry

“Supposedly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/supposedly. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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