arguably

adverb

ar·​gu·​ably ˈär-gyü-(ə-)blē How to pronounce arguably (audio)
: as may be argued or shown by argument
an arguably effective strategy
used to say that a statement is very possibly true even if it is not certainly true
He was arguably the greatest writer of his era.

Examples of arguably in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Harvard University is arguably the most prominent name in academia. Marybeth Gasman, Forbes.com, 15 Apr. 2025 All of this happened while finishing out the race and holding off a McLaren, arguably the fastest car on the grid so far this season, while on soft tires. Madeline Coleman, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2025 Crows are arguably among the smartest creatures on the planet, possessing some cognitive abilities that rival those of 5- to 7-year-old human children. Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 Apr. 2025 The Apollo moon missions were arguably the greatest exploration exercises in human history and women and people of color were entirely excluded from them. Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 13 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for arguably

Word History

First Known Use

1871, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of arguably was in 1871

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Cite this Entry

“Arguably.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/arguably. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.

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