ostensibly

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adverb os·ten·si·bly \ ä-ˈsten(t)-sə-blē \

Definition of ostensibly

1 :in an ostensible manner

2 :to all outward appearances

See ostensibly defined for kids

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 of ostensibly from the Web

White nationalists, including Ku Klux Klan members and neo-Nazis, ostensibly gathered Saturday at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville to protest the removal of a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee.

— javonte anderson, Post-Tribune, "In wake of Charlottesville tragedy, Indiana lawmakers hope for new effort to pass hate crime bill," 16 Aug. 2017
The new sanctions could cut off roughly one-third of North Korea’s estimated $3 billion in annual exports, ostensibly denying the nation of funds for its weapons programs.

— Washington Post, "Welcome boost from China to global pressure on North Korea," 6 Aug. 2017
The K5, which is equipped with lots and lots of sensors, is ostensibly an interesting piece of high-tech kit.

— sebastian anthony, Ars Technica, "Security guard robot ends it all by throwing itself into a watery grave," 18 July 2017
In communist Cuba, everyone ostensibly works for the government for minuscule wages.

— marla jo fisher, idahostatesman, "Why you should get to Cuba now," 14 July 2017
Stephens ostensibly will be given a chance to stick in the rotation.

— zach buchanan, Cincinnati.com, "RHP Jackson Stephens to start for Reds on Saturday," 29 June 2017
After Trump won the presidency, the relationship initially seemed back on track, with Scarborough and Brzezinski – who are engaged – even visiting Trump at his Mar-a-Lago club, the meeting Trump ostensibly referred to in his tweets.

— Fox News, "Sanders defends Trump's Mika tweet at heated briefing, says president 'fights fire with fire'," 29 June 2017
Now, meet the bra that can also ostensibly do just that — or will be able to, at least at some point, as The Thirty points out.

— donna freydkin, Allure, "These Bras Will Tell You All About Your Health," 22 June 2017
This is, ostensibly, a demand that the bill repeal Obamacare’s regulatory requirements more directly.

— eric levitz, Daily Intelligencer, "4 Senate Conservatives Are Worried Trumpcare Isn’t Mean Enough," 22 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'ostensibly.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.