professedly

USAGE SUMMARY

"professedly" is a correct and usable word in written English.
You can use it to indicate that something is done or said publicly, often in a way that is intended to create a certain impression. Example sentence: My colleague's story about his wealth was professedly exaggerated.

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Encyclopedias

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

35 human-written examples

For him, to lead his party into a unity government, professedly to save the peace, would be to wrest political renaissance from the jaws of reluctant retirement.His party, however, may well refuse to be led.

The Economist

Indeed, that reflex is as true with the professedly pro-European Tony Blair as it was with his Eurosceptic predecessors, despite a Franco-British defence agreement signed by Mr Blair at St Malo in 1998.

The Economist

Wheat, the great necessary of life, had been professedly by the Legislature put entirely out of the category of our regular foreign trade, and a scheme devised to be entirely prohibitory in ordinary years: there is only a device by which it may at a time of extraordinary pressure be let in.

The Economist

Thus, a religion professedly of love and spiritual inwardness gets embodied in a Church Militant.

Encyclopedia Britannica

These groups, basically and professedly orthodox, together with the reform-minded Humiliati of Lombardy (Italy), practiced poverty, Scripture reading, and preaching.

Encyclopedia Britannica

Despite being professedly equivocal at the necessity of submitting herself to the interview process – and having a disarming but highly effective way of smiling warmly to indicate that a line of enquiry should proceed no further – Wilton makes for courteous and appealing company.

Independent

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

6 human-written examples

The paradox is that this self-professedly impersonal album should feel more thrillingly intimate than many a supposedly soul-baring effort.

Independent

Something so self-professedly wrong just had to be right.

The New York Times - Food

Already famous within Korea as the opulent stamping grounds of this nation's nouveau riche, the district now wants to seize the "Gangnam Style" craze as a chance to win the global recognition that it believes it deserves as a center of fashion, entertainment and, self-professedly, conspicuous consumption.

The New York Times

Already famous within Korea as the _______ stamping grounds of this nation's nouveau riche, the district now wants to seize the "Gangnam Style" craze as a chance to win the global _______ that it believes it deserves as a center of fashion, entertainment and, self-professedly, conspicuous consumption.

The New York Times

Blair is a self-professedly "liberal" police officer, yet takes hard-nosed positions on aspects of policing some see as authoritarian.

The Guardian

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "professedly" when you want to emphasize that a characteristic, goal or identity is one that a person or group claims for themselves, particularly if there is a contrast with their actual actions.

Common error

Do not use "professedly" as a synonym for doing something in a professional capacity. While both share a root related to 'professing' a skill, "professedly" strictly refers to what someone declares or claims to be, whereas "professionally" refers to business conduct or expertise.

Linguistic Context

The word "professedly" functions as an adverb, typically modifying adjectives or participles. It serves to qualify a statement by attributing the source of the description to the subject themselves. According to Ludwig AI, it is used to indicate that a status is claimed publicly.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

News & Media

82%

Encyclopedias

12%

Formal & Business

6%

Less common in

Social Media

3%

Wiki

2%

Science

1%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In conclusion, "professedly" is a sophisticated and highly effective adverb for writers who wish to specify that a characteristic is a matter of self-declaration. As demonstrated by the extensive examples in Ludwig, it is frequently used in elite journalism to describe political affiliations, religious beliefs or organizational goals. By using this term, a writer can accurately report how a subject identifies while maintaining a degree of analytical objectivity. It is most effectively paired with adjectives, such as in the phrase "professedly" moderate or "professedly" neutral, to highlight the gap between a stated persona and potential reality.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

avowedly

emphasizes a frank and open admission of a belief or intention

purportedly

suggests a claim that may or may not be true, adding a layer of skepticism

ostensibly

focuses on the outward appearance or stated reason, often implying a hidden one

by one's own admission

uses a prepositional phrase to specify that the subject stated the fact themselves

allegedly

commonly used in legal or reported contexts where a claim is unproven

admittedly

concedes a point that might be seen as negative or surprising

supposedly

indicates what is generally believed or claimed, often with doubt

declaredly

stresses the formal act of making something known

outwardly

describes how something appears on the surface to others

manifestly

suggests that a quality is obvious or clearly shown

FAQs

How do I use "professedly" in a sentence?

You can use "professedly" as an adverb to modify an adjective or a verb to show that something is openly declared. For example: "The organization was "professedly non-partisan" despite its history."

What is the difference between "professedly" and "purportedly"?

While both refer to claims, "professedly" emphasizes that the subject is the one making the declaration, whereas "purportedly" is often used by an outside observer to describe a claim that might be doubtful.

Can I use "avowedly" instead of "professedly"?

Yes, "avowedly" is a very close synonym and is often interchangeable when describing a belief or affiliation that someone openly acknowledges.

Is "self-professedly" redundant?

Strictly speaking, "professedly" already implies a self-declaration, but "self-professedly" is commonly used in modern English to add extra emphasis to the fact that the subject defined themselves in that way.