allegedly
Americanadverb
adverb
-
reportedly; supposedly
payments allegedly made to a former colleague
-
(sentence modifier) it is alleged that
interjection
Usage
What does allegedly mean? Allegedly means according to what has been claimed. It’s used to describe an action or situation that someone claims happened but that has not been confirmed or proven, especially a crime.Allegedly is the adverb form of the adjective alleged, which itself comes from the past tense of the verb allege, meaning to claim without proof or before proof is available. Such an accusation is called an allegation.Allegedly 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 allegedly allows journalists to talk about allegations without seeming to presume guilt (and getting sued for libel).Example: Mr. Jones allegedly stole from his company over a period of 15 years.
Other Word Forms
- unallegedly adverb
Etymology
Origin of allegedly
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The agreement arrives with the baseball season’s opening day just a week away, and with MLB dealing with the fallout from two of its players facing federal charges for allegedly manipulating their on-field performance.
He has a fiduciary duty to put her needs first, but he allegedly put his own desire for money before everything else.
From MarketWatch
The label moved to Los Angeles, allegedly to be closer to the film industry but also to evade worker discontent with “substandard royalty rates.”
Popular opinion and media coverage say that picking a perfect bracket is effectively impossible, as the odds are allegedly 9.2 quintillion to 1.
From MarketWatch
Critics say the law went too far, allowing a utility to allegedly spark a deadly wildfire without financial consequences to the company or its executives.
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
