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.
Why do people write to me when they ostensibly have enough for retirement?
From MarketWatch • May 15, 2026
The moves, ostensibly to reduce corruption in the military’s ranks, leave the top tier of Xi’s armed services, which haven’t engaged in combat for nearly half a century, decimated and demoralized.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 12, 2026
In asymmetric war, the ostensibly weaker power wins by not losing.
From Slate • May 11, 2026
Hosting Tottenham head coach Roberto de Zerbi in Chelsea's directors' box on Monday, ostensibly to scout his future opponents, went down poorly with sections of the fanbase.
From BBC • May 6, 2026
The kid had never held a job in his life and was spending his summer break from the Ivy League here, ostensibly to get training.
From "Beauty Queens" by Libba Bray
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.
