supposed

American  

[suh-pohzd, -poh-zid, suh-pohst] / səˈpoʊzd, -ˈpoʊ zɪd, səˈpoʊst /

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?

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verb

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

idioms

1. supposed to. suppose.

supposed British  

/ 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

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Other Word Forms

• nonsupposed
  adjective
• supposedly
  adverb
• unsupposed
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of supposed

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

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.

Example Sentences

That all changed in September after she used an artificial intelligence song generator to transform one of her poems into a tear-jerker called “How Was I Supposed to Know?”

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 21, 2025

Supposed state sovereignty was another bulwark in protecting slavery.

From Salon • Jul. 26, 2025

After that surgery, during which a tumor was removed in its entirety from his brain, the “How Am I Supposed to Live Without You?” singer stayed quiet about the details.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 30, 2025

Supposed to be 86 by kickoff at 7 pm.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 30, 2023

“Once or twice I think. They’re some old crew of powerful phantoms. Supposed to have, like, a golden glow. No one knows too much about ’em.

From "Shadowshaper" by Daniel José Older

Related Words

• alleged
• apparent
• presumed
• purported