alleged

The definition of alleged is some claim or something of which you should be wary and unconvinced.

(adjective)

An example of something that is alleged is a new drug that is advertised to help lose weight instantly.

The definition of alleged is something that has been stated but not necessarily confirmed.

(adjective)

An example of someone who is alleged is person who has been arrested for a crime who has not yet been through the process of trial.

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See alleged in Webster's New World College Dictionary

adjective

  1. so declared, but without proof or legal conviction: the alleged assassin
  2. called by this term, but perhaps improperly so; so-called: his alleged friends

Related Forms:

See alleged in American Heritage Dictionary 4

adjective
Represented as existing or as being as described but not so proved; supposed.

Related Forms:

  • al·legˈed·ly (ə-lĕjˈĭd-lē) adverb
Usage Note: An alleged burglar is someone who has been accused of being a burglar but against whom no charges have been proved. An alleged incident is an event that is said to have taken place but has not yet been verified. In their zeal to protect the rights of the accused, newspapers and law enforcement officials sometimes misuse alleged. Someone arrested for murder may be only an alleged murderer, for example, but is a real, not an alleged, suspect in that his or her status as a suspect is not in doubt. Similarly, if the money from a safe is known to have been stolen and not merely mislaid, then we may safely speak of a theft without having to qualify our description with alleged.

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