ostensible
Americanadjective
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outwardly appearing as such; professed; pretended.
an ostensible cheerfulness concealing sadness.
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Rare. apparent, evident, or conspicuous.
the ostensible truth of their theories.
adjective
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apparent; seeming
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pretended
Other Word Forms
- nonostensible adjective
- ostensibility noun
- ostensibly adverb
- unostensible adjective
Etymology
Origin of ostensible
First recorded in 1730–40; from French, from Latin ostēns(us) , variant of ostentus ( ostensive ) + French -ible -ible
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It's not even clear whether the new board did anything to enforce or police those rules, other than share them with media to promote the event and the ostensible reforms behind it.
From Salon
“Their ostensible position of neutrality is, to put it charitably, harder and harder to believe,” the U.S. official said.
From Washington Post
While the group attended peace talks with Afghan government officials in the ostensible pursuit of a power-sharing agreement, its rapid takeover suggests it was never acting in good faith.
From New York Times
For those in need of child care, that gain ate up a huge chunk of ostensible income gains.
From New York Times
The journalist said nothing of Colonel Warren’s denying the existence of radiation victims — the ostensible marching orders of the investigative team.
From New York Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
