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. expected or obliged (to)

   I'm supposed to be there at nine

4. expected or obliged not (to)

   you're not supposed to walk on the grass

Other Word Forms

• supposedly adverb
• nonsupposed adjective
• unsupposed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of supposed¹

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

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. supposed to. suppose.

Example Sentences

Officials said the owner told deputies nobody was supposed to be living in that area, and no lights had been set up in the crawlspace.

From Los Angeles Times

There is nothing unique or radical in those requests from a government that is supposed to be of, by and for the people.

From Salon

“And for him to say what he’s saying is beyond me, because I put my hope in him and he’s supposed to protect us.”

From Salon

Trash accumulated where it was supposed to be collected for disposal.

From Los Angeles Times

After all, they haven’t been able to win the games they are supposed to, dropping to 4-12 in their last 16 against teams with losing records.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• alleged 
• apparent 
• presumed www.thesaurus.com
• purported