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
Pronatalist movement leaders such as Simone and Malcolm Collins have pushed the White House and Congress to consider policy issues that would ostensibly help more families to have babies.
—
Mabinty Quarshie, The Washington Examiner, 13 Sep. 2025
Advertisement Even the engravings with ostensibly political meanings may not be so clear-cut.
—Richard Hall, Time, 13 Sep. 2025
From the outside, Laura could be loving, protective, overbearing, even intrusive — while Cherry sows doubt for hiding pieces of her past despite ostensibly adoring her new beau.
—Proma Khosla, IndieWire, 10 Sep. 2025
Until George Springer yanked a 450-foot fly to the left-field bleachers, the lineup was ostensibly silent.
—Mitch Bannon, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ostensibly
Mabinty Quarshie, The Washington Examiner, 13 Sep. 2025
Advertisement Even the engravings with ostensibly political meanings may not be so clear-cut.
—Richard Hall, Time, 13 Sep. 2025
From the outside, Laura could be loving, protective, overbearing, even intrusive — while Cherry sows doubt for hiding pieces of her past despite ostensibly adoring her new beau.
—Proma Khosla, IndieWire, 10 Sep. 2025
Until George Springer yanked a 450-foot fly to the left-field bleachers, the lineup was ostensibly silent.
—Mitch Bannon, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ostensibly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ostensibly
Adverb
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You guys are apparently playing one more concert.—
Brian Hiatt,
Rolling Stone,
13 Sep. 2025
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Whatever the case might be, there’s clearly at least one contingent in King Charles’ inner circle, which apparently includes Prince William, that would love for this Harry meeting to be a one-and-done.—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
13 Sep. 2025
Adverb
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Conservatives have upheld private enterprise through two seemingly contradictory but complementary strategies.—
Allan J. Lichtman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Sep. 2025
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In a beauty world full of seemingly endless options, RoC’s Retinol Correxion Anti-Aging Night Serum is tested, loved by many, and won’t cost you a pretty penny.—
Gabriela Izquierdo,
Southern Living,
17 Sep. 2025
Adverb
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Kirk, an outspoken and devout protestant Christian, was supposedly considering Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy around the time of his death, in the telling of some online.—
Robert Schmad,
The Washington Examiner,
18 Sep. 2025
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However this is supposedly the result of a vatting error involving a 12 year old Macallan.—
Mark Littler,
Forbes.com,
18 Sep. 2025
Adverb
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The thing is that vibe coding is presumably supposed to be a widely adaptable approach to producing programs.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
18 Sep. 2025
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On May 24, 1945, the same day that the flamethrowers went into action, Lily and Eva performed in a Red Cross concert at Belsen, presumably in the evening after the destruction.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
17 Sep. 2025
Adverb
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Those watching on social media evidently agreed, with the clip earning over 120,000 views.—
Jack Beresford,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 Sep. 2025
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No, not drugs—for the young Michael Clune, those would evidently come soon enough—but art.—
Scott Stossel,
The Atlantic,
9 Sep. 2025
Adverb
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That probably caught Giants fans off guard, but inside the Colts’ building?—
Dianna Russini,
New York Times,
13 Sep. 2025
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Those guys are minutes from each other, probably seeing each other on a weekly, daily basis.—
Lynette Rice,
Deadline,
13 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ostensibly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ostensibly. Accessed 21 Sep. 2025.
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