alleged

adjective

al·​leged ə-ˈlejd  -ˈle-jəd 

1

: accused but not proven or convicted

an alleged burglar

2

: asserted to be true or to exist

an alleged miracle

an alleged conspiracy

3

: questionably true or of a specified kind : supposed, so-called

bought an alleged antique vase

allegedly

ə-ˈle-jəd-lē 

adverb

She allegedly stole the money. [=she is alleged to have stolen the money]

Examples of alleged in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Authorities say 32-year-old Albert Constantin has been charged with multiple felonies and misdemeanors connected with the alleged scam. —Dan Raby, CBS News, 30 Apr. 2026

Last year, the Justice Department established a task force to investigate federal contractors for alleged violations of the False Claims Act. —Jessica Guynn, USA Today, 30 Apr. 2026

The alleged victims were third-, fourth- and fifth-graders in Berndt’s classroom at Miramonte Elementary School between 1988 and 2011. —Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 30 Apr. 2026

Handling that alleged volume of incidents would supposedly require a dedicated law enforcement referral team, while OpenAI would likely take a reputational hit for reporting ChatGPT users to cops. —Robert Pearlman, ArsTechnica, 29 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

from past participle of allege

First Known Use

1509, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for alleged

• dredged
• edged
• fledged
• hedged
• pledged
• wedged
• unpledged

Legal Definition

alleged

adjective

al·​leged ə-ˈlejd, -ˈle-jəd 

1

: asserted to be true

especially : stated in an allegation

alleged crimes

2

: accused but not yet proven or convicted

trial of alleged war criminals

—R. G. Neumann