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.
Duncan insisted that Consumers’ Research did nothing to change or alter this area of the law, because it involved an arrangement that ostensibly gave a federal agency more oversight than the FTC has here.
From Slate • Jun. 12, 2026
Another radical departure from precedent was the participation of Arthur Burns, the chair of the ostensibly independent Federal Reserve, in the crafting of Nixon’s shock therapy program.
From Barron's • Jun. 5, 2026
During the McCarthy era, overreaching laws, surveillance, and public and private sector reprisals ostensibly targeted alleged communists.
From Salon • May 28, 2026
This is ostensibly a courtesy to avoid alerting current co-workers that you are job hunting, but it means people you rub the wrong way could ding you years later.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 21, 2026
His blog, ostensibly about matters of theological thought, is peppered with references to the Philadelphia Phillies and The Wire.
From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove
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.
