ENGLISH
REFERENCE

purported

adj.
C1 Advanced US //pɝˈpɔɹtɪd// UK //pɜːpˈɔːtɪd// pur·port·ed

adj. claimed to be true or real, but not yet proven. You use this when you want to show you are not sure if a story or fact is actually true.

adj. claimed or alleged to be true, often with an implication of doubt or lack of proof. Participial adjective; typically used attributively before a noun.


SIMPLE

The purported witness failed to show up in court.

CONTEXTUAL

Police are investigating the purported sighting of the missing painting at a local auction house.

COMPLEX

The purported benefits of the new policy have been met with skepticism by economists, who argue that the underlying data is insufficient to support such optimistic claims.

Synonyms
Origin

From purport + -ed.

Usage

Typically used attributively before a noun to distance the speaker from the truth of the claim.

Pitfall

It is purported that he left.He purportedly left.Purported is almost exclusively used as an adjective before a noun; for a sentence-level claim, the adverb 'purportedly' or the verb 'purport' is required.

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