Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of ostensive The ostensive unpopularity of violet versus purple nagged at the back of Tager’s mind for much of his life, eventually setting him on a 20-year journey across 193 museums in 42 countries. Stephen MacKnik, Scientific American, 1 Sep. 2021 Just like Glaucon, the best this new interlocutor could do is an ostensive definition - provide examples of justice - or possibly present the etymology of the word. Theodore McDarrah, Forbes, 10 Jan. 2023 This obviously doesn’t mean the Nuggets reserve unit has transformed into the cream of the crop, and that minus-three remains a concern for a team with ostensive (if diminished) title hopes. Joel Rush, Forbes, 26 Dec. 2021 Ask this question to a random group of people, the answer will most likely be ostensive. Teddy McDarrah, Forbes, 28 June 2021 The United Arab Emirates has taken advantage of the fight and now dominates the south, squeezing out its ostensive ally, Hadi. Washington Post, 12 May 2018 The United Arab Emirates has taken advantage of the fight and now dominates the south, squeezing out its ostensive ally, Hadi. Washington Post, 12 May 2018 The United Arab Emirates has taken advantage of the fight and now dominates the south, squeezing out its ostensive ally, Hadi. Washington Post, 12 May 2018 The United Arab Emirates has taken advantage of the fight and now dominates the south, squeezing out its ostensive ally, Hadi. Washington Post, 12 May 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ostensive
Adjective
  • To a casual observer, the difference between o1 and o1-pro might not be immediately apparent, yet the performance gap in business tasks can be substantial.
    Andrew Filev, Forbes.com, 14 Apr. 2025
  • This is most apparent in the different choices of former President Joe Biden and President Donald Trump.
    Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 13 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Meanwhile, Season Three’s ostensible biggest lover of mess, Jason Isaacs, has only continued to fuel the speculation with his characteristically vague-yet-juicy comments about all the off-camera drama that occurred during production.
    Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 14 Apr. 2025
  • Then the professor’s name and picture, along with a new inventory of ostensible offenses, popped up on one of those lists of supposedly antisemitic faculty members.
    M. Gessen, Mercury News, 5 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Emilia Pérez’s turnout in particular was a fall from seeming dominance, perhaps precipitated by Gascón’s controversy.
    David Sims, The Atlantic, 3 Mar. 2025
  • That night of violence — with its brutality and seeming lack of a motive — has shaken the community.
    Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 13 Sep. 2024
Adjective
  • Entertainment Fans of the show on social media seem to be missing a lot of crucial character development, and there’s an obvious explanation why.
    Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 10 Apr. 2025
  • In its wildest moments, Coogler’s film seems like a collision of Lovecraft Country with True Blood, though more obvious comparisons will likely be drawn to From Dusk Till Dawn.
    David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 10 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • The presence of at least six US B-2 stealth bombers in the Indian Ocean and a second aircraft carrier in the Middle East only fueled speculation in Israel that a strike was not only possible, but increasingly probable.
    Oren Liebermann, CNN Money, 9 Apr. 2025
  • In Europe, projections showed a probable increase in Ambrosia—or ragweed pollen—also linked to rising temperatures.
    Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 9 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Ostensive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ostensive. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.

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