Word
allegedly
Meanings
According to what is claimed or reported, but not confirmed as true.
Used to express skepticism about a claim, suggesting doubt or irony.
Definition
Used to say something is claimed to be true but has not been proven.
Allegedly is an adverb used when you report what someone says happened, without confirming that it is definitely true. It creates distance between you and the claim, often because evidence is incomplete or the information is disputed. It is common in news reporting and formal writing when facts are still uncertain.
Examples
- The CEO allegedly approved the deal, but the board has not released any official statement.
- I allegedly missed the meeting on purpose, yet my calendar invite was never updated.
- You allegedly saw the email yesterday, but your inbox was offline during the outage.
- They allegedly copied the design, although the timelines look more complicated than that.
Common mistake
Learners often use allegedly to mean “roughly/approximately,” but it only means “as claimed, not confirmed.”
More at C1 level
- ubiquitous Present, appearing, or found everywhere at the same time.
- xenophobia Xenophobia is a strong dislike or fear of people from other countries or cultures.
- genocide Genocide is the deliberate killing of a large number of people from a particular group in order to …
- conundrum A conundrum is a confusing and difficult problem to solve.
- pretentious Trying to seem more important, intelligent, or cultured than you really are.
More adverbs
- farther Farther means at a greater physical distance than something else.
- further Further means at a greater distance or to a greater degree, or it refers to additional things.
- literally Literally means “in the exact, real sense,” not figuratively or as an exaggeration.
- figuratively Figuratively means in a non-literal way, using a metaphor or image to express an idea.
- accordingly In a way that is appropriate to the situation or follows logically from it.