supposed
Americanadjective
-
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.
-
accepted or believed to be so, without certain knowledge.
This is the supposed site of the ancient temple, based on recent archeological finds.
-
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
idioms
adjective
-
(prenominal) presumed to be true without certain knowledge
his supposed date of birth
-
(prenominal) believed to be true on slight grounds; highly doubtful
the supposed existence of ghosts
-
expected or obliged (to)
I'm supposed to be there at nine
-
expected or obliged not (to)
you're not supposed to walk on the grass
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of supposed
Explanation
If you are supposed to do something, it means that you'd better get to it. If you're supposed to go to your grandma's house for dinner, then your grandmother expects you. Something that's required is supposed, and something that's assumed to be true — even if it's really not — is also supposed. If you describe someone as your brother's supposed best friend, it means that everyone thinks of him as a good pal, but maybe he's not as loyal as they believe him to be. If higher taxes result in supposed improvements in your city's schools, things may be better, but there's still some doubt about it.
Vocabulary lists containing supposed
Words That Could Go Either Way: Synonyms for "Maybe"
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Inside Out & Back Again
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Unit 3: Compelling Evidence
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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.
“And if you want to be the mayor and you can’t get along with people who are your colleagues on council, I don’t know how you’re supposed to govern at all.”
From Los Angeles Times • May 26, 2026
Or at least that’s what it was supposed to be about.
From Slate • May 23, 2026
I was supposed to be flying to Milan in business class this weekend but my airline mistake fare was canceled.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026
"She still had that little bit of faith in her, that little belief that this was possibly the man that she's supposed to be with - because of God," Anne-Marie says.
From BBC • May 22, 2026
I supposed she didn’t want to live in a neighborhood where so many people scorned her —even her own father.
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
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.
