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

These seemingly small actions can lead to dry grass ignition, potentially sparking a wildfire.

— CA Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 14 July 2026
As seemingly scattershot as the box-office yields for these films can be, don’t expect live-action remakes of classic animation to turn into a pumpkin anytime soon.

— Chris Lee, Vulture, 14 July 2026

Definition of seemingly

Adverb

Bellingham was apparently wearing blood flow restriction shorts.

— Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes.com, 12 July 2026
Plans for a data center in Henderson County are apparently on hold for now after the developer did not provide justification for a request to pull a maximum of nearly 2 billion gallons of water a year from Cedar Creek Lake.

— Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11 July 2026

Definition of apparently

Adverb

As for interrupting the flow of play, Arena says the three-minute hydration breaks FIFA has introduced each half — ostensibly for player welfare, but in practice to give the TV networks additional commercial breaks — have been more disruptive.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 12 July 2026
Buehler turned late and fired a throw ostensibly toward second base that sailed into center field and allowed Marte to trot home.

— Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 July 2026

Definition of ostensibly

Adverb

But its appropriation process has come under more intense scrutiny in recent weeks after a supposedly fake investment promotion agency was found to have received allocations from the budget.

— Alexander Onukwue, semafor.com, 10 July 2026
Also supposedly kicking the tires on Letterboxd is Reddit co-creator Alexis Ohanian, who is founder and general partner of VC firm Seven Seven Six.

— Todd Spangler, Variety, 10 July 2026

Definition of supposedly

Adverb

Ironically, the comments that evidently angered Adebayo stem from screenshots of an Instagram direct message conversation shared on X in recent days that show a profile seemingly run by Herro showing some resentment toward Adebayo.

— Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 11 July 2026
The Cubs evidently see enough upside in the former Rays left-hander to give him another opportunity, hoping his ability to provide length can eventually translate into value at the big league level.

— Peter Chawaga, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026

Definition of evidently

Adverb

The supermodel was seen leaving a SoHo building Friday afternoon, presumably on her way to Swift's Madison Square Garden to Travis Kelce.

— Jennifer McClellan, USA Today, 4 July 2026
Kuo also confirms that the 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max (plus, presumably, the foldable iPhone) will have enough RAM for these top-flight extras.

— David Phelan, Forbes.com, 4 July 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 16 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of ostensively

adverb

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