ostensibly

adverb

os·​ten·​si·​bly ä-ˈsten(t)-sə-blē How to pronounce ostensibly (audio)
ə-
1
: in an ostensible manner
2
: to all outward appearances

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
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.
Hal rushes away, ostensibly to tell Grace Penn. Trish Deitch, Variety, 17 Oct. 2025 Recent analysis of fossilized remains in Kenya ostensibly proves that Paranthropis boisei was fully capable of crafting and using their own tools. Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 16 Oct. 2025 Dolphins are the better team here and will show it in what ostensibly is an upset but doesn’t feel like one. Miami Herald, 16 Oct. 2025 The country’s leaders, ostensibly engineers, got their calculations disastrously wrong and built too much of everything, including high-speed rail. Andy Browne, semafor.com, 9 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for ostensibly

Word History

Etymology

ostensible + -ly entry 2

First Known Use

1765, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of ostensibly was in 1765

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Ostensibly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ostensibly. Accessed 24 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

ostensibly

adverb
os·​ten·​si·​bly ä-ˈsten(t)-sə-blē How to pronounce ostensibly (audio)
ə-
: to all outward appearances : seemingly
a statement ostensibly true
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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