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
Thomas Hardy2
: 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
Donna TarttExamples 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
Global disaster shadowed this year’s Witten Days for New Chamber Music, an ostensibly insular contemporary-music festival that takes place each spring in the Ruhr Valley, in Germany.
—Alex Ross, New Yorker, 18 May 2026
May 22 is ostensibly the last date to sign up online, so don’t dally.
—Marla Jo Fisher, Daily News, 18 May 2026
Not to mention that, in the cabin, the only person doing the dishes and rinsing out everyone’s beer cans for the recycling was the ostensibly famous lead singer—the only woman, natch.
—Dan Kois, Pitchfork, 17 May 2026
But Shaw remained, feet planted a yard and a half in front of Ouahabi, the West Ham defender assigned the duty of marking Shaw ostensibly having found something better to do than bare witness to this stand-off.
—Megan Feringa, New York Times, 17 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for ostensibly
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Alex Ross, New Yorker, 18 May 2026
May 22 is ostensibly the last date to sign up online, so don’t dally.
—Marla Jo Fisher, Daily News, 18 May 2026
Not to mention that, in the cabin, the only person doing the dishes and rinsing out everyone’s beer cans for the recycling was the ostensibly famous lead singer—the only woman, natch.
—Dan Kois, Pitchfork, 17 May 2026
But Shaw remained, feet planted a yard and a half in front of Ouahabi, the West Ham defender assigned the duty of marking Shaw ostensibly having found something better to do than bare witness to this stand-off.
—Megan Feringa, New York Times, 17 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for ostensibly
Cite this Entry
“Ostensibly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ostensibly. Accessed 19 May. 2026.
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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