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

Buehler turned late and fired a throw ostensibly toward second base that sailed into center field and allowed Marte to trot home. — Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 July 2026

The guests themselves were given very little information in the lead-up to the wedding, ostensibly to prevent leaks. — Tyler Foggatt, New Yorker, 4 July 2026

The end goal, for the tech firms and factory owners at least, is a one-size-fits-all robot, which can ostensibly plug-in to any assembly line and make workers like Lalita obsolete. — Joe Wilkins, Futurism, 1 July 2026

Each game this year features two three-minute stoppages that are ostensibly designed to give players some relief from the summer heat, but broadcasters have capitalized on that time in a sport where the action is otherwise continuous. — Brett Knight, Forbes.com, 1 July 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