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
Though the topic of “Nature’s Magicians” is ostensibly leaves, his book cuts a much wider swath than its nominal subject would suggest.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 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 bot ostensibly draws on technology from Google’s Gemini chatbot and Grok, Elon Musk’s A.I. assistant, and the administration unveiled it at a glitzy rollout styled to look like a Silicon Valley product launch.
From Slate ● Sep. 29, 2026
Since the owner’s house was burned and the owner ostensibly burned with it, the employees of the tannery, out of respect, did not go to work.
From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck
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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.
