as in apparent
appearing to be true on the basis of evidence that may or may not be confirmed
the ostensive purpose of his visit was to discuss the terms of his will
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Recent Examples of ostensive
The ostensive unpopularity of violet versus purple nagged at the back of Tager’s mind for much of his life, eventually setting him on a 20-year journey across 193 museums in 42 countries.
—
Stephen MacKnik, Scientific American, 1 Sep. 2021
Just like Glaucon, the best this new interlocutor could do is an ostensive definition - provide examples of justice - or possibly present the etymology of the word.
—Theodore McDarrah, Forbes, 10 Jan. 2023
This obviously doesn’t mean the Nuggets reserve unit has transformed into the cream of the crop, and that minus-three remains a concern for a team with ostensive (if diminished) title hopes.
—Joel Rush, Forbes, 26 Dec. 2021
Ask this question to a random group of people, the answer will most likely be ostensive.
—Teddy McDarrah, Forbes, 28 June 2021
The United Arab Emirates has taken advantage of the fight and now dominates the south, squeezing out its ostensive ally, Hadi.
—Washington Post, 12 May 2018
The United Arab Emirates has taken advantage of the fight and now dominates the south, squeezing out its ostensive ally, Hadi.
—Washington Post, 12 May 2018
The United Arab Emirates has taken advantage of the fight and now dominates the south, squeezing out its ostensive ally, Hadi.
—Washington Post, 12 May 2018
The United Arab Emirates has taken advantage of the fight and now dominates the south, squeezing out its ostensive ally, Hadi.
—Washington Post, 12 May 2018
Stephen MacKnik, Scientific American, 1 Sep. 2021
Just like Glaucon, the best this new interlocutor could do is an ostensive definition - provide examples of justice - or possibly present the etymology of the word.
—Theodore McDarrah, Forbes, 10 Jan. 2023
This obviously doesn’t mean the Nuggets reserve unit has transformed into the cream of the crop, and that minus-three remains a concern for a team with ostensive (if diminished) title hopes.
—Joel Rush, Forbes, 26 Dec. 2021
Ask this question to a random group of people, the answer will most likely be ostensive.
—Teddy McDarrah, Forbes, 28 June 2021
The United Arab Emirates has taken advantage of the fight and now dominates the south, squeezing out its ostensive ally, Hadi.
—Washington Post, 12 May 2018
The United Arab Emirates has taken advantage of the fight and now dominates the south, squeezing out its ostensive ally, Hadi.
—Washington Post, 12 May 2018
The United Arab Emirates has taken advantage of the fight and now dominates the south, squeezing out its ostensive ally, Hadi.
—Washington Post, 12 May 2018
The United Arab Emirates has taken advantage of the fight and now dominates the south, squeezing out its ostensive ally, Hadi.
—Washington Post, 12 May 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ostensive
Adjective
-
Birdsong’s apparent beanball came in the exact time and place that the unwritten rules prescribe: two outs, bases empty, first pitch.—
Andrew Baggarly,
New York Times,
26 June 2025
-
Other Demographic Differences Women’s second fall persistence rate (79.3%) exceeded that of men (76.3%), continuing a trend that’s been apparent for several years.—
Michael T. Nietzel,
Forbes.com,
26 June 2025
Adjective
-
The town of Porter is committed to keeping its dispatch center with Chesterton as long as possible.—
Shelley Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
22 June 2025
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This might signal that the two are also getting ready for a possible upcoming change.—
Lissete Lanuza Sáenz,
StyleCaster,
22 June 2025
Adjective
-
Though Benny and his crush, Miles (Rish Shah), make eyes at each other, Benny’s friendship with his ostensible love interest, Carmen (Wally Baram), emerges as the real love story.—Inkoo Kang Off Broadway Jennifer Smith as Stage Manager.—
Marina Harss,
New Yorker,
13 June 2025
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On the flipside to questions about the benefits of AI are questions about its ostensible negatives.—
Clemente Theotokis,
Forbes.com,
10 June 2025
Adjective
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Emilia Pérez’s turnout in particular was a fall from seeming dominance, perhaps precipitated by Gascón’s controversy.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
3 Mar. 2025
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That night of violence — with its brutality and seeming lack of a motive — has shaken the community.—
Richard Winton,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Sep. 2024
Adjective
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But Cate mentioned obvious areas of interest such as housing, infrastructure, regulations, taxes and fees, trade and the overall cost of living.—
Michael Smolens,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
22 June 2025
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Such an obvious way to exhibit his egotistical personality.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
22 June 2025
Adjective
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The March flight failed in similar fashion, but SpaceX's investigators determined the most probable root cause was a hardware failure in one of the ship's engines, a different failure mode than two months before.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
19 June 2025
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For his next act, Bill Zito tries something else no one thought possible, financially practical or any-which-way probable.—
Dave Hyde,
Sun Sentinel,
19 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ostensive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ostensive. Accessed 6 Jul. 2025.
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