as in apparent
appearing to be true on the basis of evidence that may or may not be confirmed
the ostensible reason for the meeting turned out to be a trick to get him to the surprise party
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Recent Examples of ostensible
Though Benny and his crush, Miles (Rish Shah), make eyes at each other, Benny’s friendship with his ostensible love interest, Carmen (Wally Baram), emerges as the real love story.—Inkoo Kang
Off Broadway
Jennifer Smith as Stage Manager.
—
Marina Harss, New Yorker, 13 June 2025
On the flipside to questions about the benefits of AI are questions about its ostensible negatives.
—Clemente Theotokis, Forbes.com, 10 June 2025
Well before private equity was in the local media game, Gannett was creating firms’ playbooks for them: ruthlessly consolidate, centralize as much as possible, boost shareholder value at all costs— even when the cost was the journalism, the company’s ostensible raison d’être.
—Megan Greenwell, Rolling Stone, 5 June 2025
The ostensible target of the purge are books fostering an ideology of racial preference or DEI, but the relation of this endeavor to national defense is, to say the least, tenuous.
—George Liebmann, Baltimore Sun, 21 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for ostensible
Marina Harss, New Yorker, 13 June 2025
On the flipside to questions about the benefits of AI are questions about its ostensible negatives.
—Clemente Theotokis, Forbes.com, 10 June 2025
Well before private equity was in the local media game, Gannett was creating firms’ playbooks for them: ruthlessly consolidate, centralize as much as possible, boost shareholder value at all costs— even when the cost was the journalism, the company’s ostensible raison d’être.
—Megan Greenwell, Rolling Stone, 5 June 2025
The ostensible target of the purge are books fostering an ideology of racial preference or DEI, but the relation of this endeavor to national defense is, to say the least, tenuous.
—George Liebmann, Baltimore Sun, 21 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for ostensible
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ostensible
Adjective
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The disconnect is apparent: students want to build careers around emerging technology, but traditional education isn’t teaching them how.—
Sarah Hernholm,
Forbes.com,
8 July 2025
-
Separately, Russia’s transport minister was found dead in what authorities said was an apparent suicide — news that broke hours after the Kremlin announced he had been dismissed by Putin.—
Aamer Madhani,
Chicago Tribune,
8 July 2025
Adjective
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That means getting as many users as possible to pile in is crucial.—
Dan Bernstein,
Sportico.com,
15 July 2025
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This new licensing platform expands our ability to reach and engage our fan community on Roblox in the deepest way possible – by working directly with them!—
Jennifer Maas,
Variety,
15 July 2025
Adjective
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And then there are the descriptions of the additional terms, which may not be obvious.—
Erik Sherman,
Forbes.com,
14 July 2025
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But a sharp turn straight into country seems like far too obvious a path for a singer-songwriter who has quietly done her own thing.—
Julyssa Lopez,
Rolling Stone,
14 July 2025
Adjective
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Emilia Pérez’s turnout in particular was a fall from seeming dominance, perhaps precipitated by Gascón’s controversy.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
3 Mar. 2025
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That night of violence — with its brutality and seeming lack of a motive — has shaken the community.—
Richard Winton,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Sep. 2024
Adjective
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These protections demonstrate genuine respect for privacy rights while preserving evidentiary value, making cooperation more likely and court approval more probable.—
Lars Daniel,
Forbes.com,
15 July 2025
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According to the University of Florida, 100% eradication of this ant is not probable in areas where it is established.—
Kim Luciani,
The Enquirer,
14 July 2025
Adjective
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Two men, Xiang Li and Bowen Zhou, are accused of stalking the family over a supposed debt, leading to a shooting at the family’s home, according to the FBI.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
4 July 2025
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While getting ready for a wedding, a teacher named Todd (Mr. T to his students) is strangled to death by a supposed chauffeur, who assumes his identity with the help of facial prosthetics and a fake glass eye to match Todd’s real one.—
Louis Peitzman,
Vulture,
3 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ostensible.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ostensible. Accessed 20 Jul. 2025.
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