OSTENSIBLY Synonyms: 42 Similar and Opposite Words

ostensibly

adverb

ä-ˈsten(t)-sə-blē

Definition of ostensibly

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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of ostensibly To read her book is to be reminded that childhood can be a puzzling passage for anyone, even in an ostensibly simpler time and place. — Danny Heitman, Christian Science Monitor, 15 Oct. 2026 Television was ostensibly a venue where Friday could finally live again, but what we’ve been left with is a baffling mess that doesn’t seem to understand what fans love about these characters. — Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 15 Oct. 2026 All these ostensibly white people, men and women, spoke with a West African accent. — Snigdha Poonam, The Dial, 13 Oct. 2026 When his young son is ostensibly abducted for ransom on Halloween night, Mark must confess his financial ruin to his therapist wife, Abigail (Washington), who has actually been having an ongoing affair with a coworker. — Max Gao, HollywoodReporter, 13 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for ostensibly

Recent Examples of Synonyms for ostensibly

Adverb

But the market for all things Holmes apparently still hasn’t been saturated.

— Brent Lang, IndieWire, 16 Oct. 2026
It is apparently filled with hateful thoughts toward non-white people, especially those who are Indian.

— Asal Rezaei, CBS News, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of apparently

Adverb

Karen is newly sober, newly released, and seemingly determined to approach this chapter of her life with an earnestness that the rest of the cast may not be emotionally equipped to accommodate.

— Shamira Ibrahim, Vulture, 12 Oct. 2026
The Beach Boys’ touring machine has been going nearly nonstop for the last 65 or so years, as Stamos and Christian Love noted in the intro, driven by Mike as one of pop music’s most inveterate and even seemingly compulsive tourers.

— Chris Willman, Variety, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of seemingly

Adverb

As of now, Game 6 would (presumably) take place at the much smaller Gateway Center Arena.

— Tyler Estep, AJC.com, 16 Oct. 2026
According to Vogue, on display in the sunroom (presumably where Dietrich is pictured here) was a piece called Zebra and Black Panther With Cacti, signed by the artist Charles Baskerville.

— Juliana Ukiomogbe, Architectural Digest, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of presumably

Adverb

After all, Jonathan, who was probably alive for President Andrew Jackson's second inauguration in 1833, is still thriving.

— KYLE MELNICK THE WASHINGTON POST, Arkansas Online, 18 Oct. 2026
But being an editor probably makes writing first drafts harder, or at least slower.

— Lola Seaton, The New York Review of Books, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of probably

Browse Nearby Words

ostensible

ostensibly

ostensive

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“Ostensibly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ostensibly. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of ostensibly

adverb

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