English

Adverb

ostensibly ‎(not comparable)

1. (modal) seemingly, apparently, on the surface
   • 1889, Leslie Stephen, Sidney Lee, Dictionary of national biography

     On 13 June the peshwa signed a new treaty, ostensibly complying with the demands of the British government...

   • 1906, Upton Sinclair, The Jungle, Chapter 9

     Up to a year or two ago it had been the custom to kill horses in the yards — ostensibly for fertilizer...

   • 2007, Brian Herbert, Kevin J Anderson, Sandworms of Dune

     People strive to achieve perfection — ostensibly an honorable goal — but complete perfection is dangerous. To be imperfect, but human, is far preferable.

   • 2007 April 10, "Who Killed Ashraf Marwan?," The New York Times (retrieved 18 September 2015):

     Mr. Marwan’s story — a tale overflowing with the suspense and ruthless duplicity of a spy novel — began to take shape in the spring of 1969. He had come to London, ostensibly to consult a Harley Street doctor about a stomach ailment. He chose to be examined by a doctor whose offices had been used previously for a covert meeting between King Hussein of Jordan and the general director of the Israeli prime minister’s office."

Synonyms

• (seemingly): apparently, arguably, at first blush, seemingly, ostensively

Related terms

• ostensive

Translations