OSTENSIVELY Synonyms: 42 Similar and Opposite Words

ostensively

adverb

as in seemingly

to all outward appearances he stops by his old office periodically, ostensively just to say "hi"

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Recent Examples of Synonyms for ostensively

Adverb

Giles, their left wing-back, seemingly does not stop running.

— Stuart James, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
The latter ensured fewer protests against seemingly endless deployments but also meant that a disproportionate share of the population would bear the burden.

— Michael E. Neagle, Hartford Courant, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of seemingly

Adverb

Rubin presses play on a song, ostensibly without warning Carter.

— Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 17 Sep. 2026
News of Loy’s demise barely makes it to Lamb, ostensibly because the death is deemed an accident, but Diana’s motives for keeping it under wraps are worth questioning.

— Scott Tobias, Vulture, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of ostensibly

Adverb

In a house that saw two grisly murders, and is supposedly haunted.

— Steve Belanger, HollywoodReporter, 16 Sep. 2026
Without anymore than that and taking into account several black eye losses for the conference, metrics the playoff committee supposedly uses like SOS and SOR will likely be dragged down.

— Stewart Mandel, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of supposedly

Adverb

Those costs could presumably be passed onto to consumers too.

— Keith Laing, USA Today, 17 Sep. 2026
As for Kiffin's interesting mind, even if LSU was not technically involved in the case, most of the football players involved in the Baton Rouge court were presumably headed to LSU.

— Trey Wallace OutKick, FOXNews.com, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of presumably

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.

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ostensive

ostensively

ostentation

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“Ostensively.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ostensively. Accessed 20 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of ostensively

adverb

Example Sentences

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