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
One meme showed a check for millions of dollars, ostensibly paid to Haddad by a criminal gang.
—Jon Lee Anderson, New Yorker, 7 Apr. 2025
And that’s while there’s ostensibly still a federal labor board to police these matters.
—Shaun Richman, New York Daily News, 6 Apr. 2025
But parallel to that is this discussion of why there’s this alienation and loneliness in our society that is ostensibly filled with good, honest, hard-working people.
—Jenelle Riley, Variety, 4 Apr. 2025
The ruling enables attorneys for Ozturk, who has ostensibly been targeted for pro-Palestinian activism, to fight her lawsuit against the Trump administration closer to home and, arguably, in a jurisdiction that may be more sympathetic to her plight.
—Steph Solis, Axios, 4 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ostensibly
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Jon Lee Anderson, New Yorker, 7 Apr. 2025
And that’s while there’s ostensibly still a federal labor board to police these matters.
—Shaun Richman, New York Daily News, 6 Apr. 2025
But parallel to that is this discussion of why there’s this alienation and loneliness in our society that is ostensibly filled with good, honest, hard-working people.
—Jenelle Riley, Variety, 4 Apr. 2025
The ruling enables attorneys for Ozturk, who has ostensibly been targeted for pro-Palestinian activism, to fight her lawsuit against the Trump administration closer to home and, arguably, in a jurisdiction that may be more sympathetic to her plight.
—Steph Solis, Axios, 4 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 16 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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