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
But any law that would overturn the 2015 ruling would ostensibly overturn the 2013 ruling too.
—Kate Sosin, Them, 5 Nov. 2024
The result would be reported numbers that were ostensibly compare across companies but really wouldn’t be due to different choices in how to measure a specific data item.
—Robert G. Eccles, Forbes, 3 Nov. 2024
By Michael Schuman The revelation that North Korean troops have been gathering in Russia, ostensibly to assist President Vladimir Putin in his brutal invasion of Ukraine, has stoked Western fears of autocratic states banding together to undermine the interests of democracies.
—Michael Schuman, The Atlantic, 3 Nov. 2024
One new ostensibly pro-worker policy that Trump, as well as his opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, have proposed: ending taxes on tips.
—Eli Hager, ProPublica, 2 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for ostensibly 
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Kate Sosin, Them, 5 Nov. 2024
The result would be reported numbers that were ostensibly compare across companies but really wouldn’t be due to different choices in how to measure a specific data item.
—Robert G. Eccles, Forbes, 3 Nov. 2024
By Michael Schuman The revelation that North Korean troops have been gathering in Russia, ostensibly to assist President Vladimir Putin in his brutal invasion of Ukraine, has stoked Western fears of autocratic states banding together to undermine the interests of democracies.
—Michael Schuman, The Atlantic, 3 Nov. 2024
One new ostensibly pro-worker policy that Trump, as well as his opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, have proposed: ending taxes on tips.
—Eli Hager, ProPublica, 2 Nov. 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 21 Nov. 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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