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
Those are magical words to cinema operators, who all ostensibly became Swifties about two years ago.
—Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 1 Oct. 2025
While Järnkrok skated on ostensibly the Leafs’ fifth line at their most recent full practice, Berube vaulted him up to the team’s top line alongside John Tavares and William Nylander against the Montreal Canadiens in Saturday’s preseason game.
—Joshua Kloke, New York Times, 28 Sep. 2025
Rookie Bradgley Rodriguez, who is ostensibly competing for a spot on the wild-card roster, worked a scoreless sixth.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Sep. 2025
Many of the biblical references including the rider of the pale horse, come from the Book of Revelation, which is ostensibly about the second coming of Christ and judgment day has also been viewed by many as an allegorical commentary on first century Christianity and Rome.
—City News Service, Oc Register, 26 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ostensibly
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Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 1 Oct. 2025
While Järnkrok skated on ostensibly the Leafs’ fifth line at their most recent full practice, Berube vaulted him up to the team’s top line alongside John Tavares and William Nylander against the Montreal Canadiens in Saturday’s preseason game.
—Joshua Kloke, New York Times, 28 Sep. 2025
Rookie Bradgley Rodriguez, who is ostensibly competing for a spot on the wild-card roster, worked a scoreless sixth.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Sep. 2025
Many of the biblical references including the rider of the pale horse, come from the Book of Revelation, which is ostensibly about the second coming of Christ and judgment day has also been viewed by many as an allegorical commentary on first century Christianity and Rome.
—City News Service, Oc Register, 26 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 8 Oct. 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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