ostensibly
adverb
os·ten·si·bly
ä-ˈsten(t)-sə-blē 
ə-
1
: in an ostensible manner
2
: to all outward appearances
Synonyms
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
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
Recent Examples on the Web
Scarlet and Violet are, ostensibly, the first open-world Pokémon games.
—Andy Biggs, Newsweek, 24 Dec. 2024
Samuel shows up at her home, ostensibly for some sort of IT security fix for her laptop or something, charms her husband and daughters — and horrifies Romy.
—Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 24 Dec. 2024
Popular on Variety The eight stories include such fanciful characters and perspectives as a hard-of-hearing genie, parental pirates, dogs on the make and even the Elephant Man, ostensibly linked by characters finding unexpected connections.
—Frank Rizzo, Variety, 23 Dec. 2024
Even with the cloud beta ostensibly taking a PS5 out of the equation, the online requirement is always going to be better on a dedicated, private broadband network, right?
—Matt Kamen, WIRED, 22 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for ostensibly 
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Andy Biggs, Newsweek, 24 Dec. 2024
Samuel shows up at her home, ostensibly for some sort of IT security fix for her laptop or something, charms her husband and daughters — and horrifies Romy.
—Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 24 Dec. 2024
Popular on Variety The eight stories include such fanciful characters and perspectives as a hard-of-hearing genie, parental pirates, dogs on the make and even the Elephant Man, ostensibly linked by characters finding unexpected connections.
—Frank Rizzo, Variety, 23 Dec. 2024
Even with the cloud beta ostensibly taking a PS5 out of the equation, the online requirement is always going to be better on a dedicated, private broadband network, right?
—Matt Kamen, WIRED, 22 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for ostensibly
Dictionary Entries Near ostensibly
Cite this Entry
“Ostensibly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ostensibly. Accessed 30 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
ostensibly
adverb
os·ten·si·bly
ä-ˈsten(t)-sə-blē
ə-
: to all outward appearances : seemingly
a statement ostensibly true
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