ENGLISH
REFERENCE

rumored

adj.
B2 Upper Intermediate US //ˈɹumɝd// UK //ɹˈuːməd// ru·mored

adj. used to describe something that people are talking about as a fact, even though it has not been proven yet. You use this when you hear a story that might be true but is not official.

adj. reported or described by unconfirmed talk or gossip. Often used predicatively after a linking verb or as a participial adjective modifying a noun.


SIMPLE

The rumored changes to the schedule are true.

CONTEXTUAL

The rumored merger between the two tech giants caused their stock prices to fluctuate wildly throughout the afternoon.

COMPLEX

While the rumored discovery of a new manuscript initially excited the academic community, subsequent investigations revealed the document to be a clever nineteenth-century forgery.

Synonyms
Usage

Often follows 'is' or 'was' and is frequently followed by a 'to' infinitive clause (e.g., 'is rumored to be').

Pitfall

It is rumored about his resignation.His resignation is rumored.The word is typically used as a descriptor of the subject or in a 'to' infinitive structure, rather than taking 'about' as a prepositional object.

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