as in apparently
to all outward appearances
ostensibly a university student studying abroad, he was actually an espionage agent
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of ostensibly
In the image, a group of 20th century men and women stand in a crowd to wave at (ostensibly) the Fantastic Four taking flight on a superhero mission.
—
Zoe G. Phillips, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Feb. 2025
In February, the company will launch a spacecraft called Odin to its target asteroid, but initially kept the name of that target secret from the public, ostensibly to prevent competing mining companies from swooping in.
—Tariq Malik, Space.com, 31 Jan. 2025
Some of the rules are ostensibly aimed at combating pollution, accidents, and crowding.
—Owen Clarke, Outside Online, 28 Jan. 2025
Her story is mostly wrapped by the finale, but there is one scene of mother and daughter learning that they’ve been granted asylum and accepting an ostensibly paltry check for their troubles.
—Proma Khosla, IndieWire, 24 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for ostensibly 
Zoe G. Phillips, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Feb. 2025
In February, the company will launch a spacecraft called Odin to its target asteroid, but initially kept the name of that target secret from the public, ostensibly to prevent competing mining companies from swooping in.
—Tariq Malik, Space.com, 31 Jan. 2025
Some of the rules are ostensibly aimed at combating pollution, accidents, and crowding.
—Owen Clarke, Outside Online, 28 Jan. 2025
Her story is mostly wrapped by the finale, but there is one scene of mother and daughter learning that they’ve been granted asylum and accepting an ostensibly paltry check for their troubles.
—Proma Khosla, IndieWire, 24 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for ostensibly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ostensibly
Adverb
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Christy Merrick, Lauderdale-by-the-Sea Siri needs a facelift Apple has apparently been riding the do-nothing train for 14 years.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
5 Feb. 2025
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But during Super Bowl LIX, and with President Donald Trump apparently planning to attend on Sunday, the NFL might be making another kind of statement on the Caesars Superdome field itself.—
Jeremy Engle,
New York Times,
5 Feb. 2025
Adverb
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Anderson was killed in a seemingly unrelated shooting in 1998.—
Brian Niemietz,
New York Daily News,
29 Jan. 2025
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Witnesses reported seeing the fire start under an Edison transmission tower in Eaton Canyon; video and photos also show the conflagration’s early moments seemingly under the electrical tower.—
Noah Goldberg,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Jan. 2025
Adverb
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There is lots of other speculation, including, famously, by President Trump, who blamed the Federal Aviation Administration for supposedly hiring incompetents, under a diversity-equity-and-inclusion policy.—
Matthew L. Wald,
The New Yorker,
1 Feb. 2025
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The reporters of our media are supposedly exhausted by the frenetic pace of Trump’s presidency.—
Paul Bedard,
Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government,
1 Feb. 2025
Adverb
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However, the animal refuses to move and remains on the spot with its mouth wide open, until another man, presumably a resident, comes with a broom and starts shoving the crocodile, who then reluctantly begins to move.—
Saman Shafiq,
USA TODAY,
4 Feb. 2025
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This season, Berliners are trying on an American classic, the Harley Davidson motorcycle jacket, and also borrowing some trends from the menswear shows, including wearing opulent and luxe fur coats (faux presumably).—
Caroline Kynast,
Vogue,
3 Feb. 2025
Adverb
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Those four are evidently Flick’s favourites, but Barca have a wealth of other options, not least Frenkie de Jong.—
Laia Cervelló Herrero,
The Athletic,
24 Jan. 2025
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Editor’s picks The World War II wordplay was evidently a bridge too far for Greenblatt after the ADL had gone to bat for Musk in a statement on the inauguration salute that was widely seen as an abdication of the nonprofit’s exact purpose.—
Miles Klee,
Rolling Stone,
23 Jan. 2025
Adverb
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Being proactive regarding hiring is the probably the biggest measure our administration could make to alleviate the fears of the flying public.—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
31 Jan. 2025
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The Survivor Gods are probably not putting me on a tribe with somebody who has the same playlist as me.—
Dalton Ross,
EW.com,
31 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near ostensibly
Cite this Entry
“Ostensibly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ostensibly. Accessed 9 Feb. 2025.
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