as in apparently
to all outward appearances
ostensibly a university student studying abroad, he was actually an espionage agent
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Recent Examples of ostensibly
While Jokic declined a three-year, $207 million extension last summer, that decision ostensibly was due to the ability to get a larger extension this summer, one that could be worth $293 million over four seasons (for a moment allow that to marinate).
—
Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 2 May 2026
Felix Bohnsack, a twenty-two-year-old mechanical-engineering student, was ostensibly coördinating the work.
—Jessica Camille Aguirre, New Yorker, 2 May 2026
While the commission was ostensibly independent, Pritzker spearheaded its creation and Thursday’s rollout.
—Olivia Olander, Chicago Tribune, 1 May 2026
The racing form, ostensibly to inform bettors, looks like a spreadsheet strewn with figures, arcana and formatting designed specifically to be impenetrable.
—Neil Greenberg, New York Times, 1 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for ostensibly
Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 2 May 2026
Felix Bohnsack, a twenty-two-year-old mechanical-engineering student, was ostensibly coördinating the work.
—Jessica Camille Aguirre, New Yorker, 2 May 2026
While the commission was ostensibly independent, Pritzker spearheaded its creation and Thursday’s rollout.
—Olivia Olander, Chicago Tribune, 1 May 2026
The racing form, ostensibly to inform bettors, looks like a spreadsheet strewn with figures, arcana and formatting designed specifically to be impenetrable.
—Neil Greenberg, New York Times, 1 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for ostensibly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ostensibly
Adverb
-
That is all too rare these days, especially in the case of an apparently rootless individual who chose an unconventional yet outwardly decent lifestyle.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
10 May 2026
-
The pilot was apparently released after landing and allowed to return to Mexico.—
Senior Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
10 May 2026
Adverb
-
Budget-conscious passengers, many of them young, formed a seemingly endless security line snaking around the rotunda, which features a twelve-foot-high mural depicting the history of flight.—
John Cassidy,
New Yorker,
11 May 2026
-
In taking on such an iconic figure—one whose compositions have been deconstructed and reconstructed in seemingly every possible direction—the group risks revealing the method to its madness.—
Levi Dayan,
Pitchfork,
11 May 2026
Adverb
-
And because there can only be an electric motor at the rear axle, not the front—supposedly out of fear that new entrant Audi would have too much of an advantage—cars could regenerate just a fraction of the total energy possible under braking.—
Jonathan M. Gitlin,
ArsTechnica,
11 May 2026
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Many eclipse chasers ignored South America's total solar eclipse in 2019, which was short and predicted by some to be cloudy, for a slightly longer, supposedly clearer one in 2020 in almost the same place.—
Jamie Carter,
Space.com,
10 May 2026
Adverb
-
Valerie, having found her backbone, is ultimately replaced on her sitcom by an AI version of Valerie, which sounds cynical — except that Valerie ends up getting a presumably far better job as the star of Stevens’ new series, Judge’s Table, about a judge who leaves the law to become a chef.—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
11 May 2026
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Ainge would be playing the opposite role of his seismic 2017 trade by presumably trading up for Dybantsa in the 2026 draft.—
Scott Phillips,
New York Times,
11 May 2026
Adverb
-
Walter was an accomplished singer and Marian played the piano, but Crenshaw evidently did not inherit a talent for music.—
Kelefa Sanneh,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
-
In a culture fixated by fame, namelessness evidently held an even higher currency.—
Carly Thomas,
HollywoodReporter,
3 May 2026
Adverb
-
Philadelphia led 90-89 entering the fourth, and Game 2 had become exactly the kind of possession-by-possession fight the Knicks probably hoped to avoid against a wounded opponent.—
C.J. Holmes,
New York Daily News,
7 May 2026
-
So we’re probably doomed to endless toxic feedback loops unless someone hits upon a brilliant fundamental redesign that manages to change those dynamics.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
7 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ostensibly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ostensibly. Accessed 14 May. 2026.
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