ostensibly
Americanadverb
adverb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of ostensibly
First recorded in 1760–70; ostensib(le) ( def. ) + -ly ( def. )
Explanation
Ostensibly is an adverb you use to talk about something that looks one way, but underneath there's the hint of a different motivation for that action. One day you go to an ice cream shop. Then the next day. And the next. You keep going, ostensibly to buy ice cream, but there’s a deeper reason. The cute person who works there, perhaps? To ostensibly do something admits that the surface reason might not be the only reason. The Latin root words translate as “to stretch in view of,” so imagine that you’re stretching a thin mask over your true intentions.
Vocabulary lists containing ostensibly
"Marigolds"
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Born a Crime
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This Week in Pop Culture: January 26 - February 1, 2019
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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.
The film, co-directed by Fielder and Lance Oppenheim, ostensibly follows disgraced Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes in the 34 days before her prison sentence begins.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026
The new demonstrations were announced as a student movement, ostensibly demanding action by the government to help with the high cost of education fees and books - and the higher cost of living.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
The petition ostensibly focuses on the procedural issue of the parents’ standing to sue.
From Slate ● Oct. 6, 2026
Among the most deleterious has been the ban, since Sept. 15, on public performances at the center, ostensibly because of building-safety concerns.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
She’d talk P.J. into weekend trips to Port-au-Prince, ostensibly to buy medicine and equipment for the clinic.
From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
