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
There are more people ostensibly invited to celebrate the love story of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce than there are tidbits of publicly available information about the nuptials of the world’s biggest star.
—
Jami Ganz,
New York Daily News,
27 June 2026
And so the Pioneer Saloon thrives as an antiquity with a pulse — and by serving up quarter-pound Poltergeist Burgers (the place is ostensibly haunted, see).
—
Tribune News Service,
Baltimore Sun,
26 June 2026
Politicians, executives, and activists gather today in the Polish city of Gdańsk with defense and infrastructure ostensibly atop the agenda.
—
Prashant Rao,
semafor.com,
25 June 2026
The measure could potentially pose a problem with collective bargaining because the governor’s administration is ostensibly bargaining on behalf of all agencies, said Tim Yeung, a public sector labor expert.
—
William Melhado,
Sacbee.com,
23 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for ostensibly
Jami Ganz,
New York Daily News,
27 June 2026
And so the Pioneer Saloon thrives as an antiquity with a pulse — and by serving up quarter-pound Poltergeist Burgers (the place is ostensibly haunted, see).
—
Tribune News Service,
Baltimore Sun,
26 June 2026
Politicians, executives, and activists gather today in the Polish city of Gdańsk with defense and infrastructure ostensibly atop the agenda.
—
Prashant Rao,
semafor.com,
25 June 2026
The measure could potentially pose a problem with collective bargaining because the governor’s administration is ostensibly bargaining on behalf of all agencies, said Tim Yeung, a public sector labor expert.
—
William Melhado,
Sacbee.com,
23 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for ostensibly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ostensibly
Adverb
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The video allegedly showed that a driver who was apparently in front of Savino swerved into the middle lane in front of a tractor-trailer to avoid a collision, the warrant affidavit said.
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Even GOATs get butterflies, apparently.
Adverb
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That pace has seemingly left lawmakers attempting to put in guardrails fighting a losing battle.
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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.
Adverb
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Or means that any comments are supposedly hypocritical.
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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.
Adverb
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Once, there was a showdown with another tour bus — one presumably not carrying theatergoers.
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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.
Adverb
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Most of those digging were civilians who took search efforts into their own hands, and tensions peaked over inadequate response from the Venezuelan government, whose soldiers, firefighters, police and military cadets were evidently underprepared to respond to the tragedy.
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Tensions peaked over what many Venezuelans viewed as an inadequate response by the government, whose soldiers, firefighters, police and military cadets were evidently underprepared to respond to the scope of the tragedy.
Adverb
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The long-term health effects of the fire and its smoke probably won’t be known unless researchers conduct a follow-up study, said Eisenman of UCLA.
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Chan says the trend probably isn't for daters who have a problem overworking in their relationships.
Cite this Entry
“Ostensibly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ostensibly. Accessed 30 Jun. 2026.
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