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"

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for ostensively

Adverb

Towns and cities are enacting bans on construction seemingly by the day, including in nearby areas in Washington, out of fears of higher electricity bills, pollution and AI taking their jobs.

— Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN Money, 11 Aug. 2026
Communities are starting to push back against the seemingly ubiquitous camera systems.

— AJ Willingham, AJC.com, 11 Aug. 2026

Definition of seemingly

Adverb

Spencer Brown said someone on the movie set apparently did that to get a smile or laugh from the actor.

— Joe Marusak August 8, Charlotte Observer, 8 Aug. 2026
Three men in their 70s were slightly injured — two of them were caught in the wind and a third one fell from a stool, apparently blown off by the wind while preparing for the storm, the Okinawa prefecture said.

— ABC News, ABC News, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of apparently

Adverb

While that isolated figure may not sound like much, that ostensibly insignificant amount of time adds up to a little over 19 days worth of sleep over the course of a year.

— Connor Sturges, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Aug. 2026
Critics dismissed the elections, which were held in December and January, as a sham designed to consolidate the military’s grip on power while ostensibly restoring civilian rule.

— ABC News, ABC News, 9 Aug. 2026

Definition of ostensibly

Adverb

What Andert argues in his video is that LINXS has effectively ransomed LAX to the tune of $880 million — so far — to complete the supposedly less than 3 percent that remains to be built on the project.

— Oren Peleg, HollywoodReporter, 7 Aug. 2026
On October 3, 1995, after an eight-month trial that featured allegations of police planting evidence and gloves that Simpson supposedly wore the night of the murders not fitting him, Simpson was acquitted.

— Tracy Grant, Encyclopedia Britannica, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of supposedly

Adverb

Helaena chose to stop working on her tapestry and leave it behind where Rhaenyra will presumably find it.

— Jennifer Maas, Variety, 10 Aug. 2026
Only for the Journal’s editorialists to gently pat presumably a few less than sanguine readers on the head with an allegedly encouraging caveat about legislation that empowers presidents to impose tariffs of the 100% kind on other nations.

— John Tamny, Forbes.com, 9 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

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Ostensively.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ostensively. Accessed 15 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of ostensively

adverb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

circumscribe

Popular in Grammar & Usage

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Words of the Week - Aug. 14

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Games & Quizzes