ostensibly

adverb

os·​ten·​si·​bly ä-ˈsten(t)-sə-blē 

ə-

1

: in a manner that conceals or may conceal what is true or real

The story is ostensibly fiction, but some of the events are based on real life.

… this was the first time that he had been ostensibly frank as to his purpose while really concealing it.

—Thomas Hardy

2

: to all outward appearances

Ostensibly, the reason for his visit was to see an old friend.

… invited me to come inside with him, ostensibly to say good-bye to the hippie friend but actually to smoke pot …

—Donna Tartt

Synonyms of ostensibly

• apparently
• seemingly
• supposedly
• presumably
• evidently
• probably

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

Recent Examples on the Web

He was shuffled off to Philadelphia for the Second Continental Congress ostensibly to secure money for the colony’s defense but also to get him out of the way. — Adam Van Brimmer, AJC.com, 30 June 2026

These artisans, with their trade secrets, were kept on Murano, a cluster of islands just across the lagoon from the city, ostensibly as a precaution against fire, though the state would also send assassins after anyone who tried to leave. — Cal Revely-Calder, New Yorker, 29 June 2026

While the point of the World Cup is ostensibly to crown a world champion, and the only way to do that is through knockout games that eliminate the rest of the field, the group games are the true joy of the tournament. — Kyle Feldscher, CNN Money, 28 June 2026

An entertainment industry executive told the outlet that there will be a gathering of 100 or so people on July 2—ostensibly, the wedding ceremony itself. — Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 27 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

ostensible + -ly entry 2

First Known Use

1765, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for ostensibly

• insensibly
• indispensably
• sensibly

Kids Definition

ostensibly

adverb

os·​ten·​si·​bly ä-ˈsten(t)-sə-blē 

ə-

: to all outward appearances : seemingly

a statement ostensibly true