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
Adverb
-
She's joined by her costars Emily Blunt and Stanley Tucci (though Meryl Streep is seemingly skipping the event).—
Anika Reed,
USA Today,
5 May 2026 -
The apparent targeting and firing of immigration court judges nationwide, seemingly over rulings that go against the administration’s deportation priorities, have drawn widespread news coverage in recent days and shined an intense spotlight on the role of the immigration courts.—
Sean Emery,
Oc Register,
4 May 2026
Adverb
-
That is all too rare these days, especially in the case of an apparently rootless individual who chose an unconventional yet outwardly decent lifestyle.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
10 May 2026
-
The pilot was apparently released after landing and allowed to return to Mexico.—
Senior Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
10 May 2026
Adverb
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Mali and Niger ostensibly rule over large parts of the southern Sahara desert, but state weakness means the actual reach of the central government is limited.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
10 May 2026
-
Disney connects the dots between the investigation into The View and Jimmy Kimmel and the broadcast license move, which is ostensibly tied to Disney’s DEI practices.—
Alex Weprin,
HollywoodReporter,
8 May 2026
Adverb
-
But Musk refused, then appeared to grow threatening enough that the court may allow Brockman to testify on the message as evidence supposedly revealing Musk’s true motives for pursuing the litigation.—
Ashley Belanger,
ArsTechnica,
4 May 2026
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The tax, which would target billionaires with a 5% levy on their net worth, is supposedly a means to bring funding back to healthcare, public education, and food assistance programs intended for middle-class and low-income Californians.—
Douglas Schoen,
Oc Register,
4 May 2026
Adverb
-
Walter was an accomplished singer and Marian played the piano, but Crenshaw evidently did not inherit a talent for music.—
Kelefa Sanneh,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
-
In a culture fixated by fame, namelessness evidently held an even higher currency.—
Carly Thomas,
HollywoodReporter,
3 May 2026
Adverb
-
This year’s Cannes jury is led by Park Chan-wook and features many friendly faces like Demi Moore (and presumably Pilaf), Ruth Negga, Isaach de Bankolé, Stellan Skarsgård, and Chloé Zhao.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
4 May 2026
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Even the hard feelings around Nutting seemed to be easing after the promise of bigger spending, better players and – presumably – a bunch more wins.—
Hannah Keyser,
CNN Money,
4 May 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Ostensively.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ostensively. Accessed 12 May. 2026.
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