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 same income measure for married couples with children — the group of Americans that was supposedly hollowed out — shows 132% growth.

Read more on MarketWatch

He supposedly realised that after flying from the Middle East to London for a day - or days - of talks with the Rangers hierarchy.

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It’s the supposedly shrewd tactic deployed by numerous American universities, major law firms and other institutions of civil society.

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In a court filing, James’s lawyer said “any supposedly fraudulent activities conducted by James, which James denies, were undertaken with the full knowledge and consent of Plaintiff.”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

A story emerged during the week that Townsend was helping Newcastle Red Bulls with player recruitment - with one of the players he was supposedly recommending being Toulon's and Scotland's Ben White.

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Related Words

• allegedly 
• apparently 
• probably 
• purportedly 

When To Use

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.