assumed
Americanadjective
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adopted in order to deceive; fictitious; pretended; feigned.
an assumed name; an assumed air of humility.
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taken for granted; supposed.
His assumed innocence proved untrue.
adjective
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false; fictitious
an assumed name
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taken for granted
an assumed result
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usurped; arrogated
an assumed authority
Other Word Forms
- assumedly adverb
- nonassumed adjective
- self-assumed adjective
- unassumed adjective
- well-assumed adjective
Etymology
Origin of assumed
Explanation
When something is described as assumed, it's fake. An assumed name is made up, often to hide a true identity. If you're living under an assumed name, you've taken on a new, fictitious name to disguise yourself or simply to start over as a new person — to give yourself an assumed identity. An assumed facial expression is false, and an assumed address isn't your real one. The adjective assumed comes from the meaning of assume that's "take on or adopt, often falsely," from the Latin assumere, "to take up."
Vocabulary lists containing assumed
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.
She writes, “I wondered why he’d chosen him, rather than Leila, as his focus,” and guessed at how Jim might work with women based on this first film: “I assumed wrong.”
From Salon • Apr. 14, 2026
If genetics plays a larger role than assumed, it strengthens the case for searching for specific genes that influence lifespan.
From Science Daily • Apr. 13, 2026
Ken Rudd said he had told the officer who rang they had assumed their son was back on camp as normal.
From BBC • Apr. 10, 2026
“I assumed they would say yes without hesitation. And my plan was to follow up with a question on what disciplinary action they had taken against those who violated the code of conduct.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026
He continued with what I assumed were more of the particulars.
From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse
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.
