purportedly
Americanadverb
Etymology
Origin of purportedly
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."
Vocabulary lists containing purportedly
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
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Not Here to Be Liked
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The New Jim Crow
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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.
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
AI models on benchmarks — despite being purportedly far cheaper to train.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 31, 2026
The Hebrew word conseptzia, or concept, means a purportedly clever formula that brings only disaster.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026
After widespread press coverage of an incident when his dog killed one of the Queen's geese in St James's Park, Hattersley produced Buster's Diaries, purportedly written by the animal itself.
From BBC ● Jun. 14, 2026
Then he offered a counter-rumor: two hard-boiled characters from the oil camps had purportedly been seen with Anna shortly before her death, and had afterward skipped town.
From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann
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.
