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Dictionary

Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

supposedly en · ADV

Pronunciation

  • /səˈpəʊ̯.zɪd.li/ (UK)
  • (US) audio
  • /səˈpoʊ̯.zɪd.li/ (US)

Etymology

Etymology tree English supposed Middle English -ly English -ly English supposedly From supposed + -ly.

Meanings

  1. (not-comparable) As a matter of supposition; in the beliefs or according to the claims of some people.
    • France were supposedly a team in pieces, beaten by Tonga just a week ago and with coach Marc Lievremont publicly berating his players, but so clear-cut was their victory that much of the atmosphere had been sucked from the contest long before the end. 2011 October 8, Tom Fordyce, “Rugby World Cup 2011: England 12-19 France”, in BBC Sport, archived from the original on 07 Apr 2022:
    • In these early days of silent pictures, the accent was chiefly on thrills and danger as provided by supposedly unstoppable locomotives with crooks or maniacs on the footplate. 1958 February 14, David Gunston, “Railways on the Screen”, in Railway Magazine, page 88:
    • People from other planets have supposedly visited Earth in flying saucers.
    • According to your testimony, you were supposedly at home watching TV when the murder occurred.
    • Beyond the glaring sexism inherent in suggesting that women's brains are so different from men's that they can't think properly, Musk lending credence to this dogshit hypothesis is incredibly goofy given that he and his audience of supposedly "high-T" men seem far more likely to fall in line with the sort of groupthink the original post references in such pseudo-phrenological terms. 2024 September 3, Noor Al-Sibai, “Elon Musk Suggests That Government Should Be Replaced by Dudes With High Testosterone”, in The Byte, archived from the original on 17 Jan 2025:
    • I haven't booked, so I don't have a clue as to whether the service will be busy or not. Supposedly, reservations are compulsory, but I want to find out what would happen if you just turn up. 2020 December 2, Paul Bigland, “My weirdest and wackiest Rover yet”, in Rail, page 68:
    • Near-synonyms: supposably, reportedly, reputedly, purportedly, putatively, rumoredly, allegedly, ostensibly, possibly, probably, likely, plausibly
  2. (Philippines, informal, not-comparable) Used in place of "supposed to be," often in informal or colloquial speech, as a mispronunciation.
    • My parents told me I am supposedly in bed by 10 P.M.

Synonyms

possibly · plausibly · likely · purportedly · rumoredly · supposably · probably · reportedly · putatively · allegedly · reputedly · ostensibly

Translations (38)

sv förment (as a matter of supposition) · gl supostamente (as a matter of supposition) · hu állítólag (as a matter of supposition) · el υποτίθεται (as a matter of supposition) · hu feltételezhetően (as a matter of supposition) · pl rzekomo (as a matter of supposition) · hu vélhetően (as a matter of supposition) · fi ilmeisesti (as a matter of supposition) · nb etter sigende (as a matter of supposition) · pl ponoć (as a matter of supposition) · el και καλά (as a matter of supposition) · hu feltehetőleg (as a matter of supposition) · nl verondersteld (as a matter of supposition) · nb visstnok (as a matter of supposition) · it presumibilmente (as a matter of supposition) · ca suposadament (as a matter of supposition) · zh 應該 /应该 (as a matter of supposition) · mi koirā te tikanga (as a matter of supposition) · hu feltehetően (as a matter of supposition) · el δήθεν (as a matter of supposition) · fi muka (as a matter of supposition) · de angeblich (as a matter of supposition) · nl vermeend (as a matter of supposition) · hu vélhetőleg (as a matter of supposition) · pl podobno (as a matter of supposition) · ro cică (as a matter of supposition) · mi ko te tikanga ... (as a matter of supposition) · pt supostamente (as a matter of supposition) · fr supposément (as a matter of supposition) · bg каза (as a matter of supposition) · eo supozeble (as a matter of supposition) · bg по общо мнение (as a matter of supposition) · nb angivelig (as a matter of supposition) · unm hùntànkw (as a matter of supposition) · ru предположи́тельно (as a matter of supposition) · fi mukamas (as a matter of supposition) · cs údajně (as a matter of supposition) · es supuestamente (as a matter of supposition)