as in apparently
to all outward appearances
ostensibly a university student studying abroad, he was actually an espionage agent
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of ostensibly
Her story transforms a picture ostensibly about men negotiating a peace treaty into a meditation on the endemic violence that shaped so many American lives.
—
Smithsonian Magazine, 29 Apr. 2025
Pratik Sinha, of Alt News, pointed out that photos claiming to depict dead Pakistani militants actually showed victims of a heat wave; other images, ostensibly of the strikes, were cribbed from a video game called Arma 2.
—Andrew Marantz, New Yorker, 28 Apr. 2025
Trump was ostensibly elected to bring down inflation.
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 18 Apr. 2025
The hold was ostensibly put in place to allow time to review the permitting process.
—John Timmer, ArsTechnica, 17 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ostensibly
Smithsonian Magazine, 29 Apr. 2025
Pratik Sinha, of Alt News, pointed out that photos claiming to depict dead Pakistani militants actually showed victims of a heat wave; other images, ostensibly of the strikes, were cribbed from a video game called Arma 2.
—Andrew Marantz, New Yorker, 28 Apr. 2025
Trump was ostensibly elected to bring down inflation.
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 18 Apr. 2025
The hold was ostensibly put in place to allow time to review the permitting process.
—John Timmer, ArsTechnica, 17 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ostensibly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ostensibly
Adverb
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But the same hoopla that’s been so good for Colorado apparently had the opposite effect on NFL decision-makers.—
Stewart Mandel,
New York Times,
30 Apr. 2025
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Archaeologists have announced the discovery of 5,000-year-old remains apparently belonging to a high-society woman from an ancient Peruvian civilization.—
Ashley J. DiMella,
FOXNews.com,
30 Apr. 2025
Adverb
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Still, his cell isn’t crammed with the seemingly innumerable actions filed against him (and by him).—
Phoebe Eaton,
HollywoodReporter,
22 Apr. 2025
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Such seemingly minor biographical details are what animate L’Enchanteur, which was born in 2012 after Soull and Dynasty merged their independent labels—Alkhemi9 and BRZÉ, respectively.—
Thessaly La Force,
Vogue,
22 Apr. 2025
Adverb
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One defendant — Katrina Woods, 33, of Maricopa, Ariz. — listed in her fraudulent claim a nonexistent address in Altadena that was supposedly destroyed as her primary residence, authorities said.—
Kaitlyn Huamani,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Apr. 2025
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Meanwhile, the supposedly rousing action finale hinges on whether the bad guys will kill a busload of kids and drop them into a mass grave.—
A.A. Dowd,
Rolling Stone,
25 Apr. 2025
Adverb
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That said, nearly all independent economic forecasters now predict that when the tariffs push prices higher, presumably soon, the economy will slow significantly.—
Susan Page,
USA Today,
1 May 2025
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In a new division of the world, Russia could presumably preside over Central Asia and most or all of Europe, dismissed so contemptuously by Vice President J. D. Vance and others.—
Margaret MacMillan,
The Atlantic,
30 Apr. 2025
Adverb
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Illinois residents evidently are juicy targets, reporting more fraud per capita than residents of 40 other states, according to the FTC.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
14 Apr. 2025
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Long-Term Memory Recall The researchers found that the sleep group had an evidently higher performance in sequential memory than the wake group, even after 15 months.—
Stephanie Edwards,
Discover Magazine,
11 Apr. 2025
Adverb
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Some people probably believe that the twinkling effect is produced by the stars themselves, but that is not the case at all.—
Joe Rao,
Space.com,
25 Apr. 2025
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The data goes to show that many moms aren’t waiting around for their family, who is probably too dependent on her planning skills, to schedule a special dinner just for her.—
Liz Regalia,
Parents,
25 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ostensibly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ostensibly. Accessed 4 May. 2025.
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