apocryphally
1
9.9
- adverb
- /əˈpɒkrəˌfælɪ/
- In reaching for the brass ring, sometimes leaders forget, as one of the sayings apocryphally attributed to Yogi Berra observes: the future is always coming.
- perhaps apocryphally
Examples
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Ironically—and I'll admit, possibly apocryphally—
Blog text (30) -
The the judge Kopenha is reported to have said, although perhaps apocryphally, that the Republican has no need of geniuses.
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From Hungary comes strudel, the invention of which is apocryphally attributed to Lindy's restaurant in New York City.
Academic text (2001) -
When it was pointed out to Joseph Stalin that, although he had more tanks than the Germans, the German tanks were of much higher quality, he famously (apocryphally?) quipped, "Sometimes quantity has a quality all its own."
Blog text (20) -
As President Truman (perhaps apocryphally) remarked to a group of visiting dignitaries in 1945, "I do not have hundreds of thousands of Arabs among my constituents."
Academic text (1990) -
The legend states, apocryphally, that the treasure was hidden by pirates on a deserted island.
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She told the story apocryphally, suggesting that it might have started as a rumor rather than fact.
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The old saying goes apocryphally that the clock tower was built in a single night by local craftsmen.
Synonyms
333
5.4
Said to be true but with no proof
18
7.2
People claim it is true but it is not proven
Antonyms
How True
Surface Forms
Morphology
apocryphally = apocryphal (transparent) = apocryphal + ly
Regular adverbial formation from the adjective 'apocryphal' using '-ly', meaning 'in an apocryphal manner'.
Etymology
The word apocryphally comes from Greek parts apo- meaning 'away' and kryptein meaning 'to hide', and it is related to the English word apocryphal and to cryptic. So, when something is said apocryphally, it is a 'hidden' or secret story that people repeat but that may not be true.