ostensibly
43
7.5
- adverb
- /əˈstɛnsəblɪ/
:
aparentemente
- p123 School let out at two-thirty today, ostensibly to give us time to study for finals.
- ostensibly neutral
- ostensibly objective
- ostensibly to protect
And the subject was ostensibly cheating for that episode.
- And the subject was ostensibly cheating for that episode.
- But it's now ostensibly coming from their own prior report.
- Why is it so valuable, yet at the same time, this ostensibly Christian movement could be so dangerous?
- And so here there's a huge gap between what we can ostensibly predict and what we can actually measure.
- And then he had this other attorney, Boris Epstein, who was in there, you know, ostensibly as our supervisor.
- Some of these things were ostensibly Lovecraftian, and others maybe not quite so much.
- So we've got ways now of reprogramming those cells or an entire mouse to make it ostensibly younger again.
- So according to Bob Woodward, he had this communication set up with Deep Throat, who was ostensibly Mark Felt.
- And then you're confident, at least ostensibly, that what you did was done correctly, maybe even done well.
- Like, were there injuries that were ostensibly innocuous at the beginning, but we realized were potential problems?
- And while they are ostensibly doing this for the cause of the revolution, they're also amassing wealth for themselves.
Examples
-
I have a client whose novel features three young women who are ostensibly from very different ethnic backgrounds.
Academic text (2011) -
My mother always kept the shades down, ostensibly to keep the heat out.
Fiction book (1995) -
But it's now ostensibly coming from their own prior report.
-
Which means the video store is ostensibly closed!
-
Why is it so valuable, yet at the same time, this ostensibly Christian movement could be so dangerous?
-
Margaret had kept his name secret, ostensibly to prevent the girls from trying to trace their father.
Fiction book (1992) -
It's after dinner, and I am at the kitchen sink, ostensibly doing dishes.
Fiction book (1997) -
The future of the harvested crops was ostensibly the concern of their owners.
Academic text (1991) -
Paul Brophy, meanwhile, had gone into the front yard, ostensibly to smoke a cigarette, despite the cold.
Fiction book (1997) -
He is ostensibly the leader of the project, but many doubt his capability.
Synonyms
∞
2.8
Something that seems true from what you know or see but may not be
406
3.4
Said to be true but not certain
253
3.7
It looks true from what you see, but may not be
252
5.4
Said to be true but with no proof
18
7.2
People claim it is true but it is not proven
13
6.7
In name only, not in reality
12
5.5
Something looks true at first but may not be
Antonyms
How Apparent
Surface Forms
Morphology
ostensibly = ostensible (transparent) = ostensible + ly
The adverb is a direct adjective->adverb formation ('ostensible' + '-ly'), so its meaning is directly derived from the base adjective.
Etymology
Ostensibly comes from the old Latin verb ostendere, which means 'to show'. So when you say something is ostensibly true you mean it is 'as shown' or 'appears' that way, but it might not be really true.