supposed

[ suh-pohzd, -poh-zid; suh-pohst ]

adjective

1. merely thought or alleged to be such, on a very questionable basis; imagined:

   When one tries to understand more about these supposed gains, they turn out to be nothing more than clever rhetoric.

2. accepted or believed to be so, without certain knowledge:

   This is the supposed site of the ancient temple, based on recent archeological finds.

3. assumed for the sake of argument; hypothetical:

   Given a supposed scenario where you see two students fighting in the schoolyard, how do you handle it?

verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of suppose.

supposed

/ səˈpəʊzd; səˈpəʊzɪdlɪ; -ˈpəʊzɪd /

adjective

1. prenominal presumed to be true without certain knowledge

   his supposed date of birth

2. prenominal believed to be true on slight grounds; highly doubtful

   the supposed existence of ghosts

3. səˈpəʊzd postpositivefoll byto expected or obliged (to)

   I'm supposed to be there at nine

4. səˈpəʊzd postpositive; used in negativefoll byto expected or obliged not (to)

   you're not supposed to walk on the grass

Derived Forms

• supposedly, adverb

Other Words From

• sup·pos·ed·ly [s, uh, -, poh, -zid-lee], adverb
• non·sup·posed adjective
• un·sup·posed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of supposed¹

First recorded in 1560–70; suppose + -ed ²

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. supposed to. suppose ( def 7 ).

Example Sentences

“If you have the person who is supposed to focus on Games delivery worried about bedsheets in the Olympic village, then they’re not focused on the right thing.”

From Los Angeles Times

The nation’s biggest cities were supposed to be the places where the economy was working.

From Slate

Although defense secretaries are expected to carry out the president’s policies, the chief of the main intelligence agency is supposed to be rigorously independent—and Ratcliffe is anything but that.

From Slate

It was supposed to have been cleared.

From BBC

As a member of the National Guard, he was supposed to protect President Joe Biden's inauguration, despite the fact that he denies the outcome of the 2020 election.

From Salon

Related Words

• alleged
• apparent
• presumed
• purported