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
Their agreeing to interfere came right after Trump spoke by phone with Alito, ostensibly about an applicant for an agency general counsel position that had been an Alito clerk.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 11 Jan. 2025
December ostensibly marked a return to a more stable labor market after Southeast hurricanes and worker strikes hammered employment totals in October, leading to higher-than-normal payroll gains the following month.
—Paul Davidson, USA TODAY, 10 Jan. 2025
Coverage was then interrupted by a press conference headed by Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, ostensibly to provide updates on the various fires — including, presumably, Eaton.
—Mary McNamara, Los Angeles Times, 10 Jan. 2025
With the catcher position ostensibly locked down, Austin Barnes established as the backup, and prospect Dalton Rushing surpassing Cartaya on the organizational depth chart, there was little room left for Cartaya in the Dodgers organization.
—Paul Du Quenoy, Newsweek, 9 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for ostensibly 
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New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 11 Jan. 2025
December ostensibly marked a return to a more stable labor market after Southeast hurricanes and worker strikes hammered employment totals in October, leading to higher-than-normal payroll gains the following month.
—Paul Davidson, USA TODAY, 10 Jan. 2025
Coverage was then interrupted by a press conference headed by Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, ostensibly to provide updates on the various fires — including, presumably, Eaton.
—Mary McNamara, Los Angeles Times, 10 Jan. 2025
With the catcher position ostensibly locked down, Austin Barnes established as the backup, and prospect Dalton Rushing surpassing Cartaya on the organizational depth chart, there was little room left for Cartaya in the Dodgers organization.
—Paul Du Quenoy, Newsweek, 9 Jan. 2025
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 Jan. 2025.
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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