supposedly

[ suh-poh-zid-lee ]

adverb

1. according to what is falsely claimed, assumed, or imagined:

   In fact, the supposedly "simple" work of digging holes, cutting down trees, and blasting snowdrifts offered her an education of the hands and head.

2. according to what is accepted or believed, without positive knowledge:

   Next weekend it's supposedly getting a bit colder again, but I think that winter is over.

Word History and Origins

Origin of supposedly¹

supposed ( def ) + -ly

Example Sentences

The New York Times offers this peek into the thinking of the Trump and Harris camps on the latter’s supposedly flawless campaign:

From Salon

Insufferably blathering on forever about his supposedly historic first term's massive economic success he said:

From Salon

Some of the many fanciful gingerbread buildings that arose there were supposedly designed by the scandalously famous architect Stanford White and bore a resemblance to the Hotel del Coronado, which opened the same year.

From Los Angeles Times

Her mother filled out the Virginia shelter's online application for a supposedly bonded pair: a 1 1/2-year-old gray tabby and 2 1/2-year-old calico.

From Salon

“Day of the Fight” is an unabashed genre picture that manages to be both the kind of movie they supposedly don’t make like they used to, and also something bracingly fresh.

From New York Times

Related Words

• allegedly
• apparently
• probably
• purportedly

Supposedly Vs. Supposably

What’s the difference between supposedly and supposably?

Supposedly means according to what is believed or accepted, without actually knowing for sure, as in Supposedly, he’s bringing the cake. Sometimes, supposedly means according to what is falsely claimed, assumed, or imagined, as in The supposedly safe ride injured eight people. Supposably is much less commonly used and means about the same thing as presumably or conceivably—as may be assumed, imagined, or supposed to be correct, as in We could supposably make the trip in a single day, but that would be pushing it.  

Yes, supposably is a “real word.” In a lot of cases, though, it’s mistakenly used in place of supposedly. Still, its meaning may sometimes actually fit the situation (even if the person who said it really meant supposedly).

Trying to remember the difference between the meaning of the two words can be tricky because both relate to what is believed or assumed and are adverbs (they’re used to modify or describe verbs or adjectives or even entire statements).

Here’s a great way to keep them straight: remember that supposably usually expresses the possibility that something might or could happen or be true, while supposedly often expresses doubt or uncertainty about something happening or being true.

Some people avoid using supposably altogether, instead opting for synonyms like presumably and conceivably, which are more common—and more likely to be clearly understood.

Here’s an example of supposedly and supposably used correctly in a sentence.

Example: With the number of new developers we’re supposedly hiring, we could supposably finish the project by the end of the summer. 

Want to learn more? Read the full breakdown of the difference between supposedly and supposably.

Quiz yourself on supposedly vs. supposably!

Should supposedly or supposably be used in the following sentence?

He _____ did the laundry, but the hamper is still full.