English Reference
Adverb

arguably

adv. sent.
C1 Advanced Oxford US /ˈɑɹɡjuəbɫi/ UK /ˈɑːɡjuːəbli/ ar·guably

adv.used when you want to say that something is probably true, even if not everyone agrees. It helps you make a strong claim while showing it is your opinion.

adv.used to qualify a statement by indicating that, while perhaps not universally accepted, a strong case can be made for its validity.


SIMPLE

This is arguably the best pizza in the city.

CONTEXTUAL

The new law is arguably the most significant piece of social legislation passed in the last decade.

COMPLEX

While critics remain divided on the director's later works, his debut film is arguably the most influential piece of cinema to emerge from that specific artistic movement.

Usage

Sentence adverb — typically placed before an adjective or at the beginning of a clause to modify the entire statement.

Pitfall
It is arguably that he is the best.He is arguably the best.

Learners often treat 'arguably' like 'arguable' or 'likely'; it should modify a specific claim or adjective rather than acting as a dummy subject complement.

Usage arguably the best

Halliday thinks the squad "shouldn't be that imbalanced this late into the transfer window" and reckons they need "three centre-halves, one left-back, two, arguably, three wingers".

BBC News· 13 Aug 2026

This is arguably the important part of Maresca's system at City so far.

BBC News· 14 Aug 2026

Common in culture writing


From arguable + -ly.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Level C1 · Advanced
Frequency Frequent
Updated