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
That mind-set offers an escape hatch from confronting urgent problems like climate change, which the Biennale is ostensibly focused on.
—Kate Wagner, Curbed, 5 Sep. 2025
Ullola last pitched Tuesday, though, ostensibly taking him out of contention until Sunday.
—Chandler Rome, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2025
All four of my grandparents came to California about a hundred years ago to escape the economic hardships and continuing violence in the wake of the decade-long Mexican Revolution that ostensibly ended in 1920.
—Literary Hub, 3 Sep. 2025
So patients don’t directly share in the savings their PBM and insurer ostensibly negotiate on their behalf.
—Sally Pipes, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ostensibly
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Kate Wagner, Curbed, 5 Sep. 2025
Ullola last pitched Tuesday, though, ostensibly taking him out of contention until Sunday.
—Chandler Rome, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2025
All four of my grandparents came to California about a hundred years ago to escape the economic hardships and continuing violence in the wake of the decade-long Mexican Revolution that ostensibly ended in 1920.
—Literary Hub, 3 Sep. 2025
So patients don’t directly share in the savings their PBM and insurer ostensibly negotiate on their behalf.
—Sally Pipes, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 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 13 Sep. 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
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