supposedly
/səˈpoʊ̯.zɪd.li/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.96 in modern English
18
Scrabble Score
10
Letters
4
Syllables
8
Unique Chars
Meaning
adv
As a matter of supposition; in the beliefs or according to the claims of some people.
adv
Used in place of "supposed to be," often in informal or colloquial speech, as a mispronunciation.
Informal
Example Sentences
- "Near-synonyms: supposably, reportedly, reputedly, purportedly, putatively, rumoredly, allegedly, ostensibly, possibly, probably, likely, plausibly"
- "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."
- "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."
- "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."
- "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."
Etymology
Etymology tree English supposed Middle English -ly English -ly English supposedly From supposed + -ly.
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /səˈpoʊ̯.zɪd.li/
- British English: /səˈpəʊ̯.zɪd.li/