allegedly

Allegedly means according to what has been claimed. It’s used to describe an action or situation that someone claims happened but that has not been confirmed or proven, especially a crime.

Allegedly is the adverb form of the adjective alleged, which itself comes from the past tense of the verb allege, meaning to claim without proof or before proof is available. Such an accusation is called an allegation.

Allegedly is most commonly used in a legal context, especially in journalism in reports about a person who has been accused of a crime or other wrongdoing but who has not been convicted. Using the word allegedly allows journalists to talk about allegations without seeming to presume guilt (and getting sued for libel).

Example: Mr. Jones allegedly stole from his company over a period of 15 years.

The first records of the word allegedly come from the 1800s. Its base word, allege, is recorded around 1300 and ultimately comes from the Latin verb allēgāre, meaning “to dispatch on a mission” or “bring forward as evidence.” The leg part of allege and allegedly comes from the root lēx-, which means “law” and forms the basis of words like legal.

Allegedly is almost always used in a legal context. It’s typically used when making an accusation that has yet to be proved in a court of law. In many jurisdictions, the law states that a person is innocent until proven guilty. That means that if someone is accused of committing a crime—even if the whole thing was caught on video—they’re not considered guilty until they’re convicted by a jury. Until that happens, journalists use the word allegedly to qualify descriptions about what the person has supposedly done.

It can be used to start a sentence, as in Allegedly, she crashed the award ceremony. It can be used within a sentence immediately preceding the alleged action, as in It was then that she allegedly began dancing on the table, or immediately following it, as in She then grabbed the tablecloth, allegedly, out from under the dishes, which stayed on the table. It can also be used as a kind of a one-word tag after a sentence, as in The dancing was actually very good. Allegedly.

Sometimes, allegedly is used in this way ironically, to humorously imply skepticism about what has been said, as in He’s very honest. Allegedly.

What are some other forms related to allegedly?

• allege (verb)
• alleged (adjective)
• allegation (noun)
• unallegedly (adverb)

What are some synonyms for allegedly?

• purportedly

What are some words that share a root or word element with allegedly? 

• legal
• legitimate

What are some words that often get used in discussing allegedly?

• commit
• claim
• accused
• accusation
• perpetrator
• apparently
• supposedly
• crime
• evidence
• proof
• convicted

Allegedly is most commonly used in journalism in reports about crimes. It’s sometimes used in a humorous way that’s supposed to mimic its journalistic use.

The European Commission has launched legal proceedings against the UK for allegedly violating EU law on free movement dating back to 2014 -« limiting the rights of first time job seekers and family members. Also imposing unjustified lifetime bans on re-entry to the country » /1

— katya adler (@BBCkatyaadler) May 14, 2020

It's worrisome that the company that makes the most influential artificial intelligence products in the world is allegedly scaling back on its efforts to ensure a diverse and inclusive workforce, considering what we know about AI bias. https://t.co/COSHFT0k75

— april glaser (@aprilaser) May 14, 2020

journalism professor: i can't change your grade. you got a 48 on your final exam

me: …allegedly

journalism professor: wow you're good nvm you get an A

— phil (@PhilJamesson) October 22, 2019

Which of the following words is LEAST likely to be used to describe something that allegedly happened?

A. purported
B. definite
C. possible
D. claimed