purportedly

American  

[per-pawr-tid-lee] / pərˈpɔr tɪd li /

adverb

1. according to what is or has been claimed, reputed, or asserted; allegedly.

   The upcoming version of the tablet will purportedly feature a brand new processor, but no other details are yet known.

   The defendant has not listed the brokers and valuation professionals with whom he purportedly consulted, nor has he told us the questions that he purportedly asked them.

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Etymology

Origin of purportedly

purported ( def. ) + -ly

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Explanation

If something purportedly happened, it may or may not have actually occurred. If your brother purportedly knows nothing about the cookies you left on the kitchen counter, it means he claims to be innocent of cookie theft. Whether or not you believe him, well, that's another story... When you use purportedly it means you only know what you've been told, or what appears to be the case, not necessarily what the entire truth is. A dog that purportedly doesn't bite is still scary when it's barking at you. And although your friend is purportedly only joking when she says she hates your haircut, it may still hurt your feelings. You can also use the synonyms "supposedly" or "allegedly."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

purportedly

Proceeds from the loans made by Walter’s insurers passed through entities purportedly controlled by Amistad, and the other firms, before being used to fund other Walter-linked businesses, the Journal reported.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026

Back then, the nonprofit had crafted a large language model known as GPT-2, whose advanced text-generating abilities purportedly made it too dangerous for public consumption.

From Slate ● Sep. 15, 2026

Many of the AI generated images have been centred on the Irish counties of Limerick and Wexford, where shaky videos purportedly showed the character wandering through the streets, causing alarm and confusion among residents.

From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2026

All of the regimens surrounding Maddie and her illness are purportedly designed to be easily accessible for healthy, honest living.

From Salon ● Aug. 8, 2026

The creditor’s note was purportedly signed by Roan and was dated “Jany, 1921”; this was important, because it indicated that the note predated efforts to obtain the insurance, giving legitimacy to Hale’s claim.

From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann

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Related Words

• allegedly
• apparently
• probably

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