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ostensible

adjective
os·​ten·​si·​ble | \ ä-ˈsten(t)-sÉ™-bÉ™l How to pronounce ostensible (audio) , É™-\

Definition of ostensible

1 : intended for display : open to view
2 : being such in appearance : plausible rather than demonstrably true or real the ostensible purpose for the trip
Other Words from ostensible Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym Did You Know? More Example Sentences Learn More about ostensible

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Choose the Right Synonym for ostensible

apparent, illusory, seeming, ostensible mean not actually being what appearance indicates. apparent suggests appearance to unaided senses that may or may not be borne out by more rigorous examination or greater knowledge. the apparent cause of the accident illusory implies a false impression based on deceptive resemblance or faulty observation, or influenced by emotions that prevent a clear view. an illusory sense of security seeming implies a character in the thing observed that gives it the appearance, sometimes through intent, of something else. the seeming simplicity of the story ostensible suggests a discrepancy between an openly declared or naturally implied aim or reason and the true one. the ostensible reason for their visit

Did You Know?

Like its synonyms "apparent" and "seeming," "ostensible" implies a discrepancy between what appears to be and what actually is. "Apparent" suggests appearance to unaided senses that may not be borne out by more rigorous examination ("the apparent cause of the accident"). "Seeming" implies a character in the thing being observed that gives it the appearance of something else ("the seeming simplicity of the story"). "Ostensible," which descends from the Latin word ostendere ("to show"), suggests a discrepancy between a declared or implied aim or reason and the true one.

Examples of ostensible in a Sentence

That intelligence and those facts, of course, all pertained to Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction, the war's ostensible casus belli, which we now know did not exist. — Frank Rich, New York Review, 6 Apr. 2006 To listen again to "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do"—probably the most relentlessly cheerful song ever written on the ostensible theme of misery—is at once to admire its delicately judged textures and Swiss-watch precision … — Geoffrey O'Brien, New York Review of Books, 15 Dec. 2005 Its ostensible subject is America's murderous gun culture. Its real subject, of course, is the ravenous ego of its director-star, Michael Moore. — Scott Berg, Time, 14 July 2003 It's a snarky, glory-thieving place, the world of big-bucks political fund raising. Ostensible grownups can be reduced to screaming toddlers over who gets the credit for bringing in a major donor's gift … — Viveca Novak, Time, 14 June 1999 the ostensible reason for the meeting turned out to be a trick to get him to the surprise party
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Recent Examples on the Web

 The coalition’s ostensible goal is to restore the Hadi’s government and prevent the Shiite theocracy of Iran from gaining regional influence through its alliance with the Houthis. — Washington Post, "Six reasons the crisis in Yemen’s south matters," 30 Aug. 2019 In yet another spin on the usual journalistic movie, the ostensible villains (played by Oldman and Banderas) narrate the story. — Chloe Foussianes, Town & Country, "In The Laundromat, Meryl Streep Uncovers Gary Oldman and Antonio Banderas's Dirty Dealings," 29 Aug. 2019 Kids whose gift was to be themselves, in other words, whose skill set was building a persona from the ostensible reality of their lives. — Ty Burr, BostonGlobe.com, "Imagine Barbara Stanwyck on YouTube," 29 Aug. 2019 And this divide has actually undermined the effectiveness of environmental policies like the ESA, despite the law’s ostensible successes. — Steven C. Beda, Twin Cities, "Steven Beda: To save endangered species, environmentalists need to listen to their fiercest critics," 28 Aug. 2019 Through his advocacy, Wooten helped push the NFL to expand its hiring practices while also serving as ostensible watchdog. — The Si Staff, SI.com, "100 Figures Who Shaped the NFL’s First Century," 28 Aug. 2019 The ostensible reason was that Blumenbach had access to a private collection of skulls, and decided that a young girl’s cranium from the country of Georgia in the Caucasus Mountains was particularly attractive. — Patrick Iber, The New Republic, "Pioneers of Cultural Relativism," 14 Aug. 2019 In the bellwether state of Uttar Pradesh, ostensible socialists have joined their BJP foes. — The Economist, "India’s ruling party keeps on winning seats, even after the elections," 25 July 2019 The show’s ostensible purpose had been to teach this girl that her delinquent behaviour had negative consequences. — Elena Nicolaou, refinery29.com, "What Being Friends With Anna Delvey Was Really Like — Before Getting Scammed," 24 July 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'ostensible.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of ostensible

circa 1771, in the meaning defined at sense 1

History and Etymology for ostensible

French, from Latin ostensus, past participle of ostendere to show, from obs-, ob- in the way + tendere to stretch — more at ob-, thin

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More Definitions for ostensible

ostensible

adjective
How to pronounce ostensible (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of ostensible

: seeming or said to be true or real but very possibly not true or real

See the full definition for ostensible in the English Language Learners Dictionary

ostensible

adjective
os·​ten·​si·​ble | \ ä-ˈsten-sÉ™-bÉ™l How to pronounce ostensible (audio) \

Kids Definition of ostensible

: seeming to be true : apparent The ostensible reason for the call was to chat, but then he asked for money.

Other Words from ostensible

ostensibly \ -​blÄ“ \ adverb

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More from Merriam-Webster on ostensible

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with ostensible

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for ostensible

Spanish Central: Translation of ostensible

Nglish: Translation of ostensible for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of ostensible for Arabic Speakers

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