ostensibly
adverb
os·ten·si·bly
ä-ˈsten(t)-sə-blē 
ə-
1
: in an ostensible manner
2
: to all outward appearances
Examples 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
Trump was ostensibly elected to bring down inflation.
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 18 Apr. 2025
The hold was ostensibly put in place to allow time to review the permitting process.
—John Timmer, ArsTechnica, 17 Apr. 2025
However, in March, engagement around the impending April 5 deadline had dropped off dramatically, with users not ostensibly as concerned with the deadline as had been about the January ban.
—Anisha Sircar, Forbes.com, 15 Apr. 2025
During an April 14 meeting between Trump and El Salvador President Nayib Bukele that was ostensibly about the two leaders’ controversial deportation and detention pact, Trump abruptly brought up his favorite political scapegoat: trans women in sports.
—Abby Monteil, Them., 15 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ostensibly
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Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 18 Apr. 2025
The hold was ostensibly put in place to allow time to review the permitting process.
—John Timmer, ArsTechnica, 17 Apr. 2025
However, in March, engagement around the impending April 5 deadline had dropped off dramatically, with users not ostensibly as concerned with the deadline as had been about the January ban.
—Anisha Sircar, Forbes.com, 15 Apr. 2025
During an April 14 meeting between Trump and El Salvador President Nayib Bukele that was ostensibly about the two leaders’ controversial deportation and detention pact, Trump abruptly brought up his favorite political scapegoat: trans women in sports.
—Abby Monteil, Them., 15 Apr. 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 24 Apr. 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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