ostensibly
adverb
os·ten·si·bly
ä-ˈsten(t)-sə-blē 
ə-
1
: in a manner that conceals or may conceal what is true or real
The story is ostensibly fiction, but some of the events are based on real life.
… this was the first time that he had been ostensibly frank as to his purpose while really concealing it.—
Thomas Hardy
Thomas Hardy2
: to all outward appearances
Ostensibly, the reason for his visit was to see an old friend.
… invited me to come inside with him, ostensibly to say good-bye to the hippie friend but actually to smoke pot …—Donna Tartt
Donna TarttExamples of ostensibly in a Sentence
The god of cleanliness is never satisfied. In America, the ostensibly egalitarian nature of society meant that cleanliness was used to mark status.
—Joanna Bourke, Harper's, April 2008
Budweiser and Miller, on the other hand, have eroded their credibility by launching brands ostensibly produced by microbreweries. They've been found out, with resulting customer cynicism.
—James R. Rosenfield, Demographics, December 1997
The day after Clinton made his seemingly proactive statement, he met with congressional leaders of both parties, ostensibly to press the case for military intervention.
—Michael Kelly, New Yorker, 19 Dec.1994
ostensibly a university student studying abroad, he was actually an espionage agent
Joanna Bourke, Harper's, April 2008
Budweiser and Miller, on the other hand, have eroded their credibility by launching brands ostensibly produced by microbreweries. They've been found out, with resulting customer cynicism.
—James R. Rosenfield, Demographics, December 1997
The day after Clinton made his seemingly proactive statement, he met with congressional leaders of both parties, ostensibly to press the case for military intervention.
—Michael Kelly, New Yorker, 19 Dec.1994
ostensibly a university student studying abroad, he was actually an espionage agent
Recent Examples on the Web
Yet because this case ostensibly doesn’t apply to private landowners—who are expected to litigate their own cases—they were denied any opportunity to defend their interests.
—David Frum, The Atlantic, 27 Dec. 2025
Zelenskyy says China is helping Russia attack Ukraine Kyiv warned that China may be helping Russia attack Ukrainian energy sites, while France said drone overflights — ostensibly directed by Moscow — were a growing worry, pointing to the increasingly global nature of the conflict.
—Ben Smith, semafor.com, 26 Dec. 2025
Ford has come up with many limited-edition variants of its famed Mustang model over the years, each ostensibly special in its own way, but there has never been anything like the new 815 hp Mustang GTD.
—Robb Report Contributors, Robb Report, 26 Dec. 2025
Meanwhile, its ostensibly heartwarming elements are undone by their vagueness.
—Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 23 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ostensibly
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David Frum, The Atlantic, 27 Dec. 2025
Zelenskyy says China is helping Russia attack Ukraine Kyiv warned that China may be helping Russia attack Ukrainian energy sites, while France said drone overflights — ostensibly directed by Moscow — were a growing worry, pointing to the increasingly global nature of the conflict.
—Ben Smith, semafor.com, 26 Dec. 2025
Ford has come up with many limited-edition variants of its famed Mustang model over the years, each ostensibly special in its own way, but there has never been anything like the new 815 hp Mustang GTD.
—Robb Report Contributors, Robb Report, 26 Dec. 2025
Meanwhile, its ostensibly heartwarming elements are undone by their vagueness.
—Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 23 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ostensibly
Cite this Entry
“Ostensibly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ostensibly. Accessed 31 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
ostensibly
adverb
os·ten·si·bly
ä-ˈsten(t)-sə-blē
ə-
: to all outward appearances : seemingly
a statement ostensibly true
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