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
The country’s leaders, ostensibly engineers, got their calculations disastrously wrong and built too much of everything, including high-speed rail.
—
Andy Browne, semafor.com, 9 Oct. 2025
The Republican who ostensibly champions liberty but justifies authoritarian impulses from the White House.
—John H Bolthouse, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Oct. 2025
Though the lead couple of Seth Brundle (Jeff Goldblum) and Veronica Quaife (Geena Davis) is ostensibly heterosexual, the fears expressed by The Fly are ones that especially resonated with gay audiences during the 1980s.
—Samantha Allen, Them., 7 Oct. 2025
Digital rights advocates have also pushed back against a proposal to limit a person to only one social media account per platform, ostensibly as a means to crack down on disinformation.
—Chad De Guzman, Time, 6 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ostensibly
Andy Browne, semafor.com, 9 Oct. 2025
The Republican who ostensibly champions liberty but justifies authoritarian impulses from the White House.
—John H Bolthouse, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Oct. 2025
Though the lead couple of Seth Brundle (Jeff Goldblum) and Veronica Quaife (Geena Davis) is ostensibly heterosexual, the fears expressed by The Fly are ones that especially resonated with gay audiences during the 1980s.
—Samantha Allen, Them., 7 Oct. 2025
Digital rights advocates have also pushed back against a proposal to limit a person to only one social media account per platform, ostensibly as a means to crack down on disinformation.
—Chad De Guzman, Time, 6 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ostensibly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ostensibly
Adverb
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Generally, what happens to the White House’s trash is secret—at least as of 2018, which was apparently the last time the federal government released any information on where Oval Office garbage goes.—
Nancy Walecki,
The Atlantic,
25 Oct. 2025
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The Lollapalooza show, the group says, was apparently manifested by the guitarist Parkinson.—
Josh Crutchmer,
Rolling Stone,
25 Oct. 2025
Adverb
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As Monaco ramped up the second-half pressure, with Spurs seemingly having no answer for the pace and fervour with which the Ligue 1 side attacked Frank’s defence from all angles, Netherlands international Teze looked set to break the deadlock.—
Elias Burke,
New York Times,
23 Oct. 2025
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Citing climate change concerns and the melting ice sheet, Greenland implemented a moratorium on oil and gas drilling in 2021—seemingly bringing all oil dreams to an end—but the government agreed that White Flame’s licenses were grandfathered and remained valid.—
Jordan Blum,
Fortune,
22 Oct. 2025
Adverb
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Among the 65 submissions was one that detailed the discovery of a 1930s-era oil can from Fresno that was supposedly uncovered at SDSU during an on-campus building project.—
Kirk Kenney,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
23 Oct. 2025
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To break the encryption would mean finding a fast solution to these supposedly infeasible problems, an act that would overturn a foundational assumption of modern math.—
Jack Murtagh,
Scientific American,
22 Oct. 2025
Adverb
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After all the members of Blackpink took a year off to pursue solo efforts, the group returned for a short tour, presumably to be followed by a more prolonged reunion.—
Thania Garcia,
Variety,
22 Oct. 2025
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The target audience will presumably be sent whooshing back in time to the summer of 2007 by the Proustian sounds of Vegas rock band The Killers, whose music plays a significant role for two of the main characters.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
22 Oct. 2025
Adverb
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American leaders should not hesitate to rein in Taiwan’s evidently reckless leader, perhaps with a private warning.—
Lyle Goldstein,
Time,
23 Oct. 2025
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Since the skirt was so evidently the outfit's statement piece, Biles simply paired it with a form-fitting, white long sleeve and white, knee-high boots.—
Skyler Caruso,
PEOPLE,
22 Oct. 2025
Adverb
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Louisville would probably look quite different if the founder of Brown-Forman never became the first whiskey maker to bottle and seal his liquor.—
Maggie Menderski,
Louisville Courier Journal,
26 Oct. 2025
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Sports betting is probably as old as sports itself.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
25 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ostensibly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ostensibly. Accessed 26 Oct. 2025.
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