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 In Garcia's previous book, Memories of My Melancholy Whores, ostensibly the first in the elderly series, a 90-year-old man pines for a 14-year old virgin. Carrie Kahn, NPR, 6 Mar. 2024 Those off-color cover versions make for one of the more outrageous bits in a film that rarely takes its ostensibly offensive routines far enough. Peter Debruge, Variety, 6 Mar. 2024 Governments are courting firms like TSMC, Samsung and SK Hynix to set up new facilities in their countries, ostensibly to boost supply chain resiliency. Lionel Lim, Fortune Asia, 2 Mar. 2024 Schiff has been running TV ads for weeks ostensibly attacking Garvey for being a two-time Donald Trump voter who could swing the Senate to GOP control. George Skelton, Los Angeles Times, 26 Feb. 2024 Surprising Fact Court documents filed Tuesday alleged Smirnov had contact with a number of Russian intelligence officials, who were ostensibly involved in giving him a story about the president’s son. Cailey Gleeson, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024 In 2022, Reddit reportedly tapped Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley for a go-public that was, at the time, ostensibly imminent. Allie Garfinkle, Fortune, 23 Feb. 2024 The impossible situation ostensibly concerned the Nets’ roster. Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 23 Feb. 2024 That’s ostensibly a knock on Garvey, but it’s intended to rally support for him among Republican viewers. George Skelton, The Mercury News, 21 Feb. 2024

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.

Word History

Etymology

see ostensible

First Known Use

1765, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of ostensibly was in 1765

Dictionary Entries Near ostensibly

Cite this Entry

“Ostensibly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ostensibly. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

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

More from Merriam-Webster on ostensibly

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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