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 Word Forms

• 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

“I have a relative that’s not supposed to be here,” the unnamed caller told the dispatcher, according to a recording released by authorities.

From Los Angeles Times

In an interview Monday, he said of AB 1363: “It seems like such an obvious law to ask the court to prove that it did what it is supposed to do.”

From Los Angeles Times

During the years of our supposed economic captivity, the American economy became the envy of the world.

From Los Angeles Times

After the initial plans for a temporary facility in the Sepulveda Basin were nixed, equestrian was supposed to be headed to Temecula’s Galway Downs.

From Los Angeles Times

Members were supposed to receive a 30% return on their investment in just 30 days.

From BBC

Related Words

• alleged
• apparent
• presumed
• purported