ostensibly

American  

[o-sten-suh-blee] / ɒˈstɛn sə bli /

adverb

1. in appearance only; supposedly.

   The event was ostensibly for charity, but he mainly used it to promote his new book.

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Other Word Forms

• nonostensibly adverb
• unostensibly adverb

Etymology

Origin of ostensibly

First recorded in 1760–70; ostensib(le) ( def. ) + -ly ( def. )

Example Sentences

Beyond raising money and exciting investors, the merger will ostensibly allow Musk to build a really big AI moat.

From The Wall Street Journal

She has approval over the content and ostensibly a sound enough mind to understand exactly the political and social contexts the film will be released into.

From Salon

It accuses the law firm of a “systematic scheme of fraud operating beneath the surface of ostensibly ordinary asbestos litigation.”

From Los Angeles Times

And the gap between the haves and have-nots is the widest it has ever been, essentially creating a tiered system among teams that ostensibly compete at the same level.

From The Wall Street Journal

But pretty much all economic history tells us this approach will undermine the market performance, depth, and liquidity of which Bessent is ostensibly so proud.

From Barron's

Related Words

• evidently
• officially
• seemingly
• supposedly