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allegation
[ al-i-gey-shuhn ]
noun
- the act of alleging; affirmation.
Synonyms: contention, claim, accusation, charge
- an assertion made with little or no proof.
Synonyms: contention, claim, accusation, charge
- an assertion made by a party in a legal proceeding, which the party then undertakes to prove.
- a statement offered as a plea, excuse, or justification.
allegation
/ ˌælɪˈɡeɪʃən /
noun
- the act of alleging
- an unproved statement or assertion, esp one in an accusation
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Other Words From
- misal·le·gation noun
- nonal·le·gation noun
- preal·le·gation noun
- real·le·gation noun
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Word History and Origins
Origin of allegation1
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Example Sentences
They included allegations about supervisors and co-workers who grabbed women’s rear ends in freezers, pressed their genitalia against their bodies and demanded sex.
This weekend, the Union-Tribune reported the district attorney’s office was investigating allegations of embezzlement by Barrios, from a political club for which he served as treasurer.
It is also unclear whether the bribery allegations by PG&E are connected to the home sale between their employee and Singh.
The allegations did not come up publicly during Clarkson’s confirmation hearings last year.
Most of the allegations were tied to executive producers and senior managers, including Glavin, Leman and Norman, BuzzFeed News said.
The allegation may or may not be true, but it is not implausible.
When asked about the rape allegation, Cosby—undoubtedly upon the advice of counsel—said nothing.
It took nearly 20 years between the first allegation and his ultimate removal.
The allegation concerns hydrocarbon releases from the wastewater system at the unloading facility.
This hardly seems to be an atmosphere that encourages a sexual assault victim to follow through with an allegation.
"I admit going to Thillot, but I deny your allegation," cried Paul in quick protest.
No allegation against him had been made through the press, but the Times came to the rescue before the attack.
The allegation that the knowing is observed is that which may be denied.
Who can question the allegation that it is an immensely important national work?
Chronology must have forbidden James to attach weight to the latter allegation, if he had cared for it.
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Related Words
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More About Allegation
What does allegation mean?
An allegation is an accusation or claim that something wrong has been done, especially a crime. The word often implies that the thing claimed has not been confirmed or proven or that the claim has been made without proof or before proof is available.
Allegation is the noun form of the verb allege, meaning to claim without proof or before proof is available. Related forms include the adjective alleged and the adverb allegedly.
The word allegation is most commonly used in a legal context, especially in journalism in reports about a person who has been accused of a crime or other wrongdoing but who has not been convicted. Using the word allegation allows journalists to talk about accusations without seeming to presume guilt (and getting sued for libel).
Example: We will prove that the allegations against my client are absolutely baseless.
Where does allegation come from?
The first records of the word allegation come from around 1400. The verb allege is recorded around 1300 and ultimately comes from the Latin verb allēgāre, meaning “to dispatch on a mission” or “bring forward as evidence.” The leg part of allege and allegation comes from the root lēx-, which means “law” and forms the basis of words like legal.
Allegation is almost always used in a legal context. It’s typically used to refer to an accusation that has yet to be proved in a court of law. In many jurisdictions, the law states that a person is innocent until proven guilty. That means that if someone is accused of committing a crime—even if the whole thing was caught on video—they’re not considered guilty until they’re convicted by a jury. Until that happens, journalists use the word allegation to talk about what has been accused.
People who deny allegations against themselves often call them baseless—meaning they’re made up (which is itself an allegation).
Did you know ... ?
What are some other forms related to allege?
What are some synonyms for allegation?
What are some words that share a root or word element with allegation?
What are some words that often get used in discussing allegation?
How is allegation used in real life?
Allegation is most commonly used in journalism in reports about crimes.
The Salvadoran girls were being deported from the US. The only relative who could take them in was related to sexual assault allegations against them. Stunning story by @lomikriel https://t.co/26aS63M9XG
— Mary Beth Sheridan (@marybsheridan) May 19, 2020
Exclusive: India watchdog reviewing antitrust allegations against Facebook's WhatsApp – sources https://t.co/URd29GBylU pic.twitter.com/tgAAWSzeMw
— Reuters (@Reuters) May 16, 2020
SCOOP: Source: The ousted State Department inspector general had recently wrapped up a probe into another top aide to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, determining that she had likely failed to report allegations of workplace violence. https://t.co/McFY7wK1d8
— Nahal Toosi (@nahaltoosi) May 20, 2020
Try using allegation!
Which of the following words is LEAST likely to be used to describe the action about which an allegation was made?
A. purported
B. definite
C. possible
D. claimed
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