Word of the Day

: March 23, 2022

ostensible

adjective ah-STEN-suh-bul

What It Means

Ostensible means "seeming or said to be true or real but very possibly not true or real."

// The ostensible purpose of a filibuster is to extend debate.

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ostensible in Context

"The Globetrotters … have acquired a loyal following thanks to family-friendly events in which players show off such records-worthy skills and interact with fans while still managing to wallop their ostensible opponents." — Peter Tonguette, The Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch, 22 Dec. 2021

Did You Know?

Ostensible comes from Latin ostendere, meaning "to show," and the word suggests a discrepancy between a declared or implied aim or reason and the true one.