Well, the tickets are supposedly in the mail.

[Ashraful Haque]

When I looked up the meaning of 'supposedly' I found that Cambridge dictionary has used the same example sentence for two different meanings.

1) Used to show that you do not believe that something you have been told is true:
"Well, the tickets are supposedly in the mail."

2) According to what someone told you, or according to what is believed by many people to be true:
"The tickets are supposedly in the mail."

How do I know if someone's being sarcastic (1) or just making a general statement (2)?
Is it the tone of voice?

 

[SoothingDave]

There's an air of suspicion in any use of the word. Not necessarily sarcasm. It could be "this is what they say is true, but I haven't verified it" or "They said this, but I won't believe it until I see it."

 

[jutfrank]

Poor show by Cambridge Dictionary to double up on this example.

You can use pretty much any word sarcastically if you want to. In this context, the same could be said of 'apparently'.

Yes, sarcasm comes largely through the tone of voice, but it also comes from other contextual cues, and from you just knowing what the speaker really means. Without adequate context, there's no way to tell from a written text alone.

 

[Tarheel]

Interesting coincidence. I used "supposedly" earlier today to indicate my opinion of a person's intent. Yes, it indicates skepticism. You might use "supposedly" to indicate that (whatever "that" is) is what they want you to believe.

 

[Ashraful Haque]

A: When is the the next GTA coming out?
B: Supposedly next year. (as said by the CEO of Rockstar)

I used supposedly because games and movies are never released on time. Have I used the word correctly given the context?

 

[Tarheel]

Yes.

 

[emsr2d2]

A: When is the the next GTA coming out?
B: Supposedly next year. (as This was said by the CEO of Rockstar.)

I used "supposedly" because games and movies are never released on time. Have I used the word correctly given the context?