ostensively

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for ostensively
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
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
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
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
Adverb
  • But with the Red Sox evidently set on their major-league catching options, Knizner is looking elsewhere.
    Peter Chawaga, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Arendt, evidently depressed and convinced of life’s meaninglessness, found his teaching electrifying.
    David Denby, New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2026
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
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

Cite this Entry

“Ostensively.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ostensively. Accessed 12 Aug. 2026.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster