ostensibly
adverb
os·ten·si·bly
ä-ˈsten(t)-sə-blē 
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
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
Maresca was able to change the momentum first by bringing on Reece James for Madueke at the interval — ostensibly not a particularly attack-minded change, but a bold one nonetheless.
—Simon Johnson, New York Times, 13 May 2025
The first round of tariffs, ostensibly aimed at reducing the amount of fentanyl and fentanyl precursors illegally brought into the United States but manufactured in China, were established on Feb. 1 and March 3 and each added a 10% tax on U.S. imports from China.
—Matthew Medsger, Boston Herald, 12 May 2025
Trump, we have been told endlessly, has expertly gamed this new world, by weaponizing the decline of traditional news sources to sow division and distrust and, more recently, appearing on podcasts—both political and ostensibly not—that value vibes and authenticity over facts.
—Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 9 May 2025
Cheeks also referenced a New York Times story – Is This Late-Night TV’s Last Gasp – which was ostensibly about the genre in the streaming world, highlighting Netflix’s Everything’s Live with John Mulaney, that highlighted that advertising revenue in late-night fell nearly 50% between 2018 and 2022.
—Peter White, Deadline, 7 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for ostensibly
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.
Simon Johnson, New York Times, 13 May 2025
The first round of tariffs, ostensibly aimed at reducing the amount of fentanyl and fentanyl precursors illegally brought into the United States but manufactured in China, were established on Feb. 1 and March 3 and each added a 10% tax on U.S. imports from China.
—Matthew Medsger, Boston Herald, 12 May 2025
Trump, we have been told endlessly, has expertly gamed this new world, by weaponizing the decline of traditional news sources to sow division and distrust and, more recently, appearing on podcasts—both political and ostensibly not—that value vibes and authenticity over facts.
—Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 9 May 2025
Cheeks also referenced a New York Times story – Is This Late-Night TV’s Last Gasp – which was ostensibly about the genre in the streaming world, highlighting Netflix’s Everything’s Live with John Mulaney, that highlighted that advertising revenue in late-night fell nearly 50% between 2018 and 2022.
—Peter White, Deadline, 7 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for ostensibly
Cite this Entry
“Ostensibly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ostensibly. Accessed 25 May. 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share