supposedly
As the story goes
Supposedly marks a claim as reported rather than verified—what someone says or believes, which the speaker may doubt: He supposedly finished the project, but I haven't seen it.
The word often carries skepticism or irony, suggesting the reality may differ from what's claimed: She's supposedly an expert.
Sometimes it simply attributes information to another source without implying doubt.
Claimed but unverified
- purportedlyClaimed but unverified
- reportedlyAccording to reports
- ostensiblyAppearing true but questionable
- seeminglyAppearing to be so
apparently · presumably · putatively · assumedly · claimed · stated · said · represented
With opposite meaning intended
- sarcasticallyWith mocking insincerity
- yeah rightSarcastic dismissal of claims
- sureFree from uncertainty
- theoreticallyIn principle, not actuality
in theory · on paper · nominally · technically · officially · formally · ostensibly · as if
Spread without verification
- gossipInformal talk spreading rumors
- hearsayUnverified secondhand information
- whisperedSpoke without full voice
- reportedlyAccording to reports
they say · according to · grapevine · secondhand · unconfirmed · unsubstantiated · uncorroborated
With doubt or distrust
- questionablyIn a doubtful way
- dubiouslyWith uncertainty or distrust
- suspiciouslyWith apparent distrust
- incredulouslyIn a doubting manner
doubtfully · uncertainly · unreliably · disputably · debatably · implausibly · unconvincingly · improbably
allegedly
Claimed but unverified
- purportedlyClaimed but unverified
- reportedlyAccording to reports
- ostensiblyAppearing true but questionable
seemingly · apparently · presumably · putatively · assumedly · claimed · stated · said · represented · professed
ironically
With opposite meaning intended
- sarcasticallyWith mocking insincerity
- yeah rightSarcastic dismissal of claims
- sureFree from uncertainty
theoretically · in theory · on paper · nominally · technically · officially · formally · ostensibly · as if · quotation marks
rumored
Spread without verification
- gossipInformal talk spreading rumors
- hearsayUnverified secondhand information
- whisperedSpoke without full voice
reportedly · they say · according to · grapevine · secondhand · unconfirmed · unsubstantiated · uncorroborated
skeptically
With doubt or distrust
- questionablyIn a doubtful way
- dubiouslyWith uncertainty or distrust
- suspiciouslyWith apparent distrust
incredulously · doubtfully · uncertainly · unreliably · disputably · debatably · implausibly · unconvincingly · improbably
- uncertaintyuncertainty, uncertain, unknown, unsure, unclear
- sentence adverbsobviously, certainly, probably, possibly, perhaps
- hedginghedging, hedge, hedges, hedge bet, qualifier
- Hedging Wordsperhaps, maybe, possibly, arguably, presumably
- attributionattributed to, cited, according to, per, via
- on paperblueprint, draft, outline, proposal, plan
supposedlyactually
In truth, not supposedly
really · truly · in fact · certainly · definitively
supposedlycertainly
Without any doubt
surely · undoubtedly · absolutely · decidedly · definitely
supposedlyfirsthand
Without intermediary
knowingly · admittedly · avowedly · self-evidently · manifestly
- supposed toExpected or required
- be supposed toExpected by rule or norm
- is supposed toExpected to do/be
- was supposed toExpected but didn't
- supposed to be
- being supposed toHaving an expectation placed