ostensively

adverb

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for ostensively
  1. seemingly
  2. apparently
  3. ostensibly
  4. supposedly
  5. evidently
  6. presumably
Adverb
  • The statement came after Roth detailed a sequence in the film to Polygon that features a cartoon that seemingly hypnotizes children, turning them into murderers.
    — Corbin Bolies, Variety, 5 Aug. 2026
  • But their political views have seemingly coalesced less around the economy than around the war in Gaza, which serves as a character test for any politician who asks for their vote.
    — Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of seemingly
Adverb
  • Alpha 3 would be remastered sooner, but apparently the Super Robot Wars Z2 series polled highly with fans.
    — Ollie Barder, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2026
  • Then it was brought down again to £10m because of unspecified fines that had apparently already been handed out.
    — Daniel Taylor, New York Times, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of apparently
Adverb
  • Here is a woman ostensibly at the top of her game in two fields nevertheless feeling shot down and worn out.
    — Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 3 Aug. 2026
  • But about 400 travellers who had come from sub-Saharan Africa planned to remain on the border, ostensibly retaining hopes of making it to Europe.
    — Alexander Onukwue, semafor.com, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of ostensibly
Adverb
  • So reasoning traces, the very things that supposedly distinguish LRMs from the mere next-word-predicting LLMs, are not necessarily either meaningful or causal to a model’s … reasoning?
    — John Pavlus, Quanta Magazine, 31 July 2026
  • Maybe the domain is too diseased to rehabilitate for clicks, even under its supposedly privacy-forward rebrand.
    — Maggie Harrison Dupré, Futurism, 30 July 2026
Definition of supposedly
Adverb
  • Garciaparra's legacy evidently continues to resonate inside the organization, including with current players.
    — Peter Chawaga, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2026
  • There is the whole obstacle of her being in a relationship right now, but other than that, Fritz evidently has a shot.
    — Sean Joseph OutKick, FOXNews.com, 2 Aug. 2026
Definition of evidently
Adverb
  • Reid pulled him aside both of the last two days for one-on-one conversations, presumably to discuss assignments and coverages.
    — Sam McDowell, Kansas City Star, 1 Aug. 2026
  • If traded, Vea would presumably get a contract extension from the acquiring team.
    — Sam Warren, New York Times, 1 Aug. 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.

Browse Nearby Words

ostensive
ostensively
ostentation
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Cite this Entry

“Ostensively.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ostensively. Accessed 6 Aug. 2026.

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