Synonyms of ostensibly

ostensibly

adverb

ä-ˈsten(t)-sə-blē 

as in apparently

to all outward appearances

ostensibly a university student studying abroad, he was actually an espionage agent

Synonyms & Similar Words

• apparently
• seemingly
• supposedly
• presumably
• evidently
• probably
• ostensively
• likely
• visibly
• perhaps
• obviously
• maybe
• on the surface
• putatively
• clearly
• possibly
• surely
• distinctly
• outwardly
• purportedly
• allegedly
• externally
• credibly
• conceivably
• reportedly
• reputedly
• professedly
• positively
• manifestly
• presumedly
• supposably
• assuredly
• believably
• assumably
• mayhap
• plainly
• self-evidently
• perchance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• incredibly
• impossibly
• improbably
• implausibly

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of ostensibly

In fact, Thiessen and Berkley missed some of Saved by the Bell’s later episodes — without explanation to viewers — because producers had already filmed a graduation, which was ostensibly the end of the show. — Raechal Shewfelt, Entertainment Weekly, 25 Sep. 2026

The Taliban’s return to power was swift, though preventing it had ostensibly been the entire point of the decades-long occupation, the bombs, the hundreds of thousands of lives lost. — Emily Watlington, ARTnews.com, 24 Sep. 2026

In the south, an array of militias and armed groups arose over the years, ostensibly to back the government against the rebels. — ABC News, 23 Sep. 2026

Although ostensibly a satire of Victorian society, the work also contains a mathematical treatise on the fourth dimension. — Manon Bischoff, Scientific American, 22 Sep. 2026