as in apparently
to all outward appearances
ostensibly a university student studying abroad, he was actually an espionage agent
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of ostensibly
The couple traveled with the child to Canada ostensibly for a camping trip in late March with Blue’s 3-year-old child.
—
ABC News, 22 Apr. 2026
Instead of scratching around for opportunities in ostensibly rich countries, those financiers should start targeting the nations that Wall Street had historically ignored.
—Hettie O'Brien, The Dial, 21 Apr. 2026
The goal is to ostensibly prevent piracy and unlicensed sharing.
—Justyn Newman, PC Magazine, 21 Apr. 2026
Even the oil companies ostensibly benefitting from higher prices at the pump are starting to get nervous.
—Jonathan Tirone, Bloomberg, 16 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ostensibly
ABC News, 22 Apr. 2026
Instead of scratching around for opportunities in ostensibly rich countries, those financiers should start targeting the nations that Wall Street had historically ignored.
—Hettie O'Brien, The Dial, 21 Apr. 2026
The goal is to ostensibly prevent piracy and unlicensed sharing.
—Justyn Newman, PC Magazine, 21 Apr. 2026
Even the oil companies ostensibly benefitting from higher prices at the pump are starting to get nervous.
—Jonathan Tirone, Bloomberg, 16 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ostensibly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ostensibly
Adverb
-
The writings sent to family members apparently did not specifically mention the White House Correspondents' Dinner.—
Nicole Sganga,
CBS News,
26 Apr. 2026
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Two protesters briefly took over a small red carpet where guests were lined up to take professional photos; Times reporters saw a third woman dressed in a formal gown and shouting protest slogans being escorted out by security guards after apparently having entered the event.—
Justine McDaniel,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
That worked in Game 3, but Minnesota showed much better discipline in Game 4, seemingly having learned its lesson.—
Mark Lazerus,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Put water under pressure, though, and its shape can compress and overlap in a seemingly endless bounty of possible patterns.—
Shalma Wegsman,
Quanta Magazine,
27 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
That move, which came late in the litigation, seemingly underscored to jurors that, of the two billionaires, Musk is supposedly the one most committed to AI safety and AI as a public good.—
Ashley Belanger,
ArsTechnica,
27 Apr. 2026
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Melillo says his first contact was with a woman who identified herself as attorney Victoria Hernández, who supposedly reviewed his case.—
Albinson Linares,
NBC news,
26 Apr. 2026
Adverb
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However, with Stanton presumably vacating the DH spot, the switch-hitting, defensively-subpar Domínguez, who is better from the left side, can help the Bombers against a string of right-handed starting pitchers.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
27 Apr. 2026
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Defenceman Kaiden Guhle took a big breath when asked about it, presumably to gather himself before answering.—
Arpon Basu,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
Adverb
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Back in court as Pekara spoke, a police officer reached out to put her hand on the shoulder of a young man seated in one of the front rows, evidently a family member of one of the two officers.—
Caroline Kubzansky,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Apr. 2026
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The Arsenal manager invoked a bed of roses and the accompaniment of celestial music and formed an expression to suggest anyone expecting that was evidently disconnected from the reality of a Premier League title race.—
Amy Lawrence,
New York Times,
26 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
At this year's event, held at Pura Padel, Holland participated with other BERO higher-ups in a friendly tournament of padel, a racquet sport that's probably best described as a combination of squash and tennis.—
Charles Trepany,
USA Today,
1 May 2026
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Voters will probably be bombarded with political ads and arguments from opposing sides as the battle intensifies.—
Queenie Wong,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ostensibly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ostensibly. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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