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

The brothers were apparently never scheduled to appear at the conference, though journalists and fans in the room seemed to not be aware of this.

— Ellise Shafer, Variety, 5 Sep. 2026
Although law firms are beginning to embrace the benefits of generative AI, the technology apparently makes many law schools squeamish.

— Sian Leah Beilock, The Atlantic, 5 Sep. 2026

Definition of apparently

Adverb

The result is a twisted, naturalistic fairytale about structural realities; with the right boot-heel at one’s neck, even ostensibly life-giving forces like forests and rivers can be turned against innocent people.

— Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 5 Sep. 2026
But challengers emerged and weakened its quest for dominance, often with different models ostensibly tailored to be more local.

— Alexander Onukwue, semafor.com, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of ostensibly

Adverb

Most players largely celebrate their own successes, rather than their opponents’ errors, and antics like those supposedly violate the sport’s unwritten behavioral codes.

— Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026
According to legend, a traveling salesman saw the escape artist in the booth and locked him inside, supposedly causing Houdini to furiously attempt to kick his way out.

— Dan Kelly, Kansas City Star, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of supposedly

Adverb

Under such a contract, customers (like the Navy) will request Seasat to supply the boats, launch them, maintain them, operate the autonomous system, and presumably provide the sensor/data service.

— Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 5 Sep. 2026
That his family doesn’t aggressively question him and the director doesn’t aggressively question him presumably is what allowed Tez to do this wild thing in the first place, and helps the documentary simulate objectivity.

— Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 5 Sep. 2026

Definition of presumably

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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 11 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of ostensively

adverb

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