supposed

[suh-pohzd, -poh-zid, suh-pohst]

adjective

1. merely thought or alleged to be such, on a very questionable basis; imagined.

   When one tries to understand more about these supposed gains, they turn out to be nothing more than clever rhetoric.

2. accepted or believed to be so, without certain knowledge.

   This is the supposed site of the ancient temple, based on recent archeological finds.

3. assumed for the sake of argument; hypothetical.

   Given a supposed scenario where you see two students fighting in the schoolyard, how do you handle it?

verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of suppose.

supposed

/ səˈpəʊzd, səˈpəʊzɪdlɪ, -ˈpəʊzɪd /

adjective

1. (prenominal) presumed to be true without certain knowledge

   his supposed date of birth

2. (prenominal) believed to be true on slight grounds; highly doubtful

   the supposed existence of ghosts

3. expected or obliged (to)

   I'm supposed to be there at nine

4. expected or obliged not (to)

   you're not supposed to walk on the grass

Other Word Forms

• supposedly adverb
• nonsupposed adjective
• unsupposed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of supposed¹

First recorded in 1560–70; suppose + -ed ²

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. supposed to. suppose.

Example Sentences

Journalist Michael Kinsley famously defined a “gaffe” as what happens “when a politician tells the truth—some obvious truth he isn’t supposed to say.”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Pogba did stay at United for six years in his second spell, but he was supposed to rejuvenate the team and there was little evidence of this.

Read more on BBC

Next was a bizarre request involving a supposed battle between Momoa and his ex and the need to fake documentation to show Jane and the star were in a genuine relationship.

Read more on BBC

"Again, these five weeks, when everyone is praising our evolution, I'm always saying the same things. We are not even near what we're supposed to be in this club."

Read more on BBC

Backed by conventional assets such as cash or US government bonds, stablecoins are supposed to keep a fixed value -- meaning they can be used reliably for buying, selling and cash transfers all while bypassing banks.

Read more on Barron's

Related Words

• alleged 
• apparent 
• presumed www.thesaurus.com
• purported