supposedly

supposedly — adverb

1. used when telling others about something you have heard, to make it clear you ar

1.adverbC1
Definition

used when telling others about something you have heard, to make it clear you are not sure the information is true

Example

Ravindra supposedly finished the marathon in under three hours, but no official recorded his time.

sentence-initial skepticism: supposedly + contrary evidence clause

The email was supposedly sent last night, yet Baraka still has not received it.

passive: be supposedly + past participle

Common collocations
  • supposedly + verb (supposedly knows, supposedly called)
  • be + supposedly + adjective (is supposedly worth, are supposedly based)
  • supposedly + but / yet / though (contrast marker)
Synonyms
  • allegedly

    Stronger implication of wrongdoing; often used in legal or police contexts where an accusation is involved

  • reportedly

    Neutral — simply states that something has been reported without expressing doubt or belief

  • ostensibly

    More formal; suggests the stated reason may not be the real one, focusing on appearances rather than truth

Grammar Patterns

supposedly + verb phrase

supposedly + [clause]

be + supposedly + past participle / adjective

Usage Note

Frequently expresses the speaker's doubt about the truth of a reported claim. Unlike 'allegedly' (which often implies possible legal or official investigation), 'supposedly' simply signals that the speaker considers the information unverified, unlikely, or exaggerated. It commonly pairs with a clause presenting contradictory evidence, introduced by 'yet', 'but', or 'though'.

Common Mistakes

Apparently, he is the new manager.' (when you mean you doubt the claim)
Supposedly, he is the new manager, but I am not sure.
'Apparently' reports what seems true based on evidence, while 'supposedly' expresses doubt about the claim.
I am supposedly to finish the report by Friday.' (confusing with obligation)
I am supposed to finish the report by Friday.
'Supposed to' expresses duty or expectation; 'supposedly' expresses doubt about a reported statement.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adverb/1

All four adverbs are used when reporting information from a source other than the speaker, but they differ in the level and type of doubt conveyed. 'Supposedly' signals that the speaker does not believe the claim — it is the most personally skeptical of the group. 'Allegedly' is more objective and legalistic; it reports an accusation without the speaker's personal disbelief, often used in news about crimes or misconduct. 'Reportedly' is neutral — it simply attributes the information to an unnamed source without any hint of doubt or belief. 'Ostensibly' is more formal and points to a discrepancy between the stated reason and the real one (e.g. 'The meeting was ostensibly about budgets, but everyone knew the real topic was layoffs.'). 'Apparently' suggests something seems true based on evidence the speaker has seen, so it carries less doubt than 'supposedly'. Compare: 'Supposedly he resigned (but I doubt it)' vs 'Apparently he resigned (the empty desk and farewell email suggest he did).'

allegedly ↗reportedly ↗ostensiblyapparently ↗

Common collocations

Phrases

  • supposedly + [contrast clause with but / yet / though]
  • be supposedly + [past participle] (sent supposedly, is supposedly worth)
  • [subject] + supposedly + [verb] (supposedly knows, supposedly called)

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Formed from the verb 'suppose' (from Latin 'supponere', literally 'to put under', later meaning 'to assume as a basis') combined with the adjectival suffix '-ed' and the adverbial suffix '-ly'. The sense of 'supposed' as 'believed to be such without certainty' emerged in the 16th century, and the adverb 'supposedly' developed from that in the early 19th century, carrying the speaker's doubt rather than simple assumption.