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
Awards ‘Native women are unstoppable’: Lily Gladstone’s plan to expand Indigenous inclusion
Jan. 30, 2024
Jax’s teenage niece, Roki (Isabel Deroy-Olsen), is ostensibly in her care now since Roki’s mother, Tawi, a dancer at a local strip club, vanished from the rez two weeks prior.
—Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 21 June 2024
Significant increases in the costs of labor and materials have made installing elevators only costlier, and that is without even considering the impact on New Yorkers with disabilities whose access to the city’s ostensibly premier public transit system will be even further delayed.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 21 June 2024
The Freedom Convoy, a disparate group of legitimate protestors, conspiracy theorists, and troublemakers—ostensibly fed up with COVID-19 health mandates—shut down Ottawa, Ontario back in January, 2022.
—Krista Stevens, Longreads, 17 June 2024
That means Roman is on hand when Nestor and his men meet with the Haitians, ostensibly to buy back their drugs but really to shoot the ever-loving life outta them.
—Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 16 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for ostensibly 
Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 21 June 2024
Significant increases in the costs of labor and materials have made installing elevators only costlier, and that is without even considering the impact on New Yorkers with disabilities whose access to the city’s ostensibly premier public transit system will be even further delayed.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 21 June 2024
The Freedom Convoy, a disparate group of legitimate protestors, conspiracy theorists, and troublemakers—ostensibly fed up with COVID-19 health mandates—shut down Ottawa, Ontario back in January, 2022.
—Krista Stevens, Longreads, 17 June 2024
That means Roman is on hand when Nestor and his men meet with the Haitians, ostensibly to buy back their drugs but really to shoot the ever-loving life outta them.
—Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 16 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for ostensibly
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ostensibly.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near ostensibly
Cite this Entry
“Ostensibly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ostensibly. Accessed 4 Jul. 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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