as in apparent
appearing to be true on the basis of evidence that may or may not be confirmed
the ostensive purpose of his visit was to discuss the terms of his will
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Recent Examples of ostensive
Just like Glaucon, the best this new interlocutor could do is an ostensive definition - provide examples of justice - or possibly present the etymology of the word.
—
Theodore McDarrah, Forbes, 10 Jan. 2023
The ostensive unpopularity of violet versus purple nagged at the back of Tager’s mind for much of his life, eventually setting him on a 20-year journey across 193 museums in 42 countries.
—Stephen MacKnik, Scientific American, 1 Sep. 2021
The United Arab Emirates has taken advantage of the fight and now dominates the south, squeezing out its ostensive ally, Hadi.
—Washington Post, 12 May 2018
Theodore McDarrah, Forbes, 10 Jan. 2023
The ostensive unpopularity of violet versus purple nagged at the back of Tager’s mind for much of his life, eventually setting him on a 20-year journey across 193 museums in 42 countries.
—Stephen MacKnik, Scientific American, 1 Sep. 2021
The United Arab Emirates has taken advantage of the fight and now dominates the south, squeezing out its ostensive ally, Hadi.
—Washington Post, 12 May 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ostensive
Adjective
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Kansas City’s limitations in the running game have become apparent, exacerbated by a difficult early schedule against title contenders the Chargers and Eagles.—
Jack Magruder,
Forbes.com,
20 Sep. 2025
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Some of those who attended the show saw its apparent message of adversity and resilience as a commentary on present times.—
Ana Karina Zatarain,
New Yorker,
19 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The presumed reasoning behind why the film was ignored is multilayered.—
Marcus Jones,
IndieWire,
8 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
New frontiers in medical use The ability to control the metamaterial remotely makes new medical applications possible.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
19 Sep. 2025
-
More importantly, Nvidia continues to focus on the entire data center as a single system to ensure that all potential performance bottlenecks are addressed, resulting in the highest possible performance efficiency and ROI.—
Jim McGregor,
Forbes.com,
19 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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As Alfred Hitchcock’s tale of murder and depravity builds to its climax, the film’s ostensible hero, tennis professional Guy Haines (Farley Granger), needs to get out ahead of the psychopath (Robert Walker) who means to frame him for a murder.—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
29 Aug. 2025
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As three Navy destroyers and three amphibious warships move toward the coast of Venezuela this weekend in an ostensible U.S. counternarcotics operation, the Trump administration’s show of force is rekindling memories of another presidency, era and country.—
Jay Weaver,
Miami Herald,
23 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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The insurer’s spokesperson declined an opportunity to clarify this seeming contradiction.—
Mario Ariza,
ProPublica,
15 Sep. 2025
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These innocuous-seeming actions can kindle dry vegetation, potentially spawning a wildfire.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
2 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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And a soft implant can be the best option to avoid an obvious edge.—
Megan McIntyre,
Allure,
16 Sep. 2025
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That’s because your liver won’t give you obvious clues that say there’s a MASH up going there.—
Bruce Y. Lee,
Forbes.com,
16 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The map shows red pins representing incidents that state and federal wildlife biologists have said were confirmed or probable wolf attacks on livestock.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
18 Sep. 2025
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Gabriel Muniz Jimenez, 33, died inside his cell due to a probable drug overdose on May 21, according to a spokesman for the medical examiner's office.—
Vanessa Swales,
jsonline.com,
16 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ostensive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ostensive. Accessed 21 Sep. 2025.
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