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
Barricading everyone inside the hotel ostensibly ensures Celia’s abductors can’t leave the property.
—
Alison Herman, Variety, 19 June 2026
Though this is an ostensibly local election, his national message has been clear.
—Alexander Smith, NBC news, 18 June 2026
Canada’s national team have gathered for a training camp, ostensibly ahead of upcoming games on the calendar.
—Joshua Kloke, New York Times, 17 June 2026
These vessels were part of military exercises known as Arctic Endurance, and their purpose was ostensibly to counter threats from outside the NATO alliance, of which both Denmark and the United States are members.
—Joshua Hunt, Vanity Fair, 17 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for ostensibly
Alison Herman, Variety, 19 June 2026
Though this is an ostensibly local election, his national message has been clear.
—Alexander Smith, NBC news, 18 June 2026
Canada’s national team have gathered for a training camp, ostensibly ahead of upcoming games on the calendar.
—Joshua Kloke, New York Times, 17 June 2026
These vessels were part of military exercises known as Arctic Endurance, and their purpose was ostensibly to counter threats from outside the NATO alliance, of which both Denmark and the United States are members.
—Joshua Hunt, Vanity Fair, 17 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for ostensibly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ostensibly
Adverb
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The district continues to face ongoing challenges from declining enrollment and chronic absenteeism — both apparently exacerbated by federal deportation threats, according to some experts.—
Howard Blume,
Los Angeles Times,
22 June 2026
-
When security turns them away at the gate, some fans are stashing their bags nearby — apparently planning to grab them later — and that’s creating a real headache for law enforcement, according to The Star.—
The Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
21 June 2026
Adverb
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That pace has seemingly left lawmakers attempting to put in guardrails fighting a losing battle.—
Helen Regan,
CNN Money,
23 June 2026
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When Lucerys refuses, Aemond chases Lucerys on his dragon, seemingly meaning to injure him rather than kill him, but his dragon, Vhagar, delivers a fatal blow to Rhaenyra’s son.—
Skyler Trepel,
PEOPLE,
22 June 2026
Adverb
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Or means that any comments are supposedly hypocritical.—
Ian Miller OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
23 June 2026
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But leaders at United Auto Workers (UAW), the primary US union for autoworkers, reacted with anger to the new robotic presence, given how GM has not yet called back any of the workers affected by supposedly temporary layoffs in March.—
Jeremy Hsu,
ArsTechnica,
22 June 2026
Adverb
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Once, there was a showdown with another tour bus — one presumably not carrying theatergoers.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
22 June 2026
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The users within that 7% gap had presumably found their question answered by the summary and felt no further online reading was needed to satisfy their curiosity or make a decision.—
Matthew Kayser,
Miami Herald,
22 June 2026
Adverb
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But those struggles evidently haven’t been enough to push Scherzer into retirement and the team seems to be sticking with him as well.—
Peter Chawaga,
Forbes.com,
18 June 2026
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More importantly, Suzuka marked both the end and beginning of a chapter for the young team, which evidently had a lot of work to do before heading to the United States.—
Jerry Perez,
The Drive,
11 June 2026
Adverb
-
And that probably includes the windows, too.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
18 June 2026
-
If Claire wasn’t running in this, probably, like, sure, fine.—
Naaman Zhou,
New Yorker,
18 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ostensibly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ostensibly. Accessed 23 Jun. 2026.
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