ostensibly
adverb
os·ten·si·bly
| \ ä-ˈsten(t)-sə-blē
\
\
Definition of ostensibly
1
: in an ostensible manner
2
: to all outward appearances
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Synonyms for ostensibly
Synonyms
apparently, evidently, ostensively, presumably, putatively, seemingly, supposedly
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Examples of ostensibly in a Sentence
The god of cleanliness is never satisfied. In America, the ostensibly egalitarian nature of society meant that cleanliness was used to mark status.
— Joanna Bourke, Harper's, April 2008
Budweiser and Miller, on the other hand, have eroded their credibility by launching brands ostensibly produced by microbreweries. They've been found out, with resulting customer cynicism.
— James R. Rosenfield, Demographics, December 1997
The day after Clinton made his seemingly proactive statement, he met with congressional leaders of both parties, ostensibly to press the case for military intervention.
— Michael Kelly, New Yorker, 19 Dec.1994
ostensibly a university student studying abroad, he was actually an espionage agent
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Recent Examples on the Web
Trump had planned to arrive in Poland on Sunday for a two-day visit, ostensibly to commemorate the 80th anniversary of World War II. — Jennifer Jacobs / Bloomberg, Time, "Trump Cancels Poland Trip to Focus on Hurricane Dorian, Says He's Sending Pence in His Place," 29 Aug. 2019 In the earlier attack, an Israeli, Danny Gonen, 25, also of Lod, was shot and killed after a Palestinian man flagged him down, ostensibly to ask about the spring, and then pulled out a gun. — David M. Halbfinger, New York Times, "Bomb Kills Israeli Girl, 17, at a West Bank Oasis," 23 Aug. 2019 In Mozambique a clique of officials created three companies, ostensibly to build shipyards, police the coast and catch tuna. — The Economist, "A $2bn loan scandal sank Mozambique’s economy," 22 Aug. 2019 His plan called for a complete, 100% transition to clean energy, ostensibly creating millions of jobs in the process as the country builds out the infrastructure to switch from fossil fuels to solar, wind and other sustainable energy sources. — Dan Sweeney, sun-sentinel.com, "22 remain after Jay Inslee ends his presidential campaign,," 22 Aug. 2019 Fonda and Hopper dreamed up the idea of two motorcyclists who hit it big with a drug deal and take off across the country, ostensibly to attend Mardi Gras. — Duane Byrge, Billboard, "Peter Fonda, 'Easy Rider' Architect And Counter-Cultural Icon, Dies At 79," 16 Aug. 2019 The location is hardly secret, since the CST’s logo, two interlocking circles with diamonds, can be seen in aerial photos, carved into the high desert scrub, ostensibly to help guide Hubbard’s spirit back to its new body—whenever that happens. — Matt Farwell, The New Republic, "Jeffrey Epstein Chose New Mexico for a Reason," 15 Aug. 2019 Former special counsel Robert Mueller appeared before two House committees on Wednesday, ostensibly to discuss his report on Russian interference and potential obstruction of justice by the president. — Grace Segers, Kathryn Watson, Stefan Becket, CBS News, "Mueller sticks to the script in day of grueling testimony," 24 July 2019 The second day of free agency brought that reminder with guard Austin Rivers choosing to return on a two-year, minimum contact, ostensibly to chase the championship the Rockets have considered within reach. — Jonathan Feigen, Houston Chronicle, "With deal with Rivers in place, Rockets look for next step in free agent market," 1 July 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'ostensibly.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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