ostensive
Americanadjective
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obviously or manifestly demonstrative
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a less common word for ostensible
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philosophy (of a definition) given by demonstrative means, esp by pointing
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of ostensive
First recorded in 1595–1605; from Medieval Latin ostēnsīvus, equivalent to Latin ostēns(us), variant of ostentus, past participle of ostendere “to present, display” ( o(b)s, variant of ob- “to, toward, on” + tend(ere) “to stretch” + -tus past participle suffix) + -īvus adjective suffix; see ob-, -ive
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.
Such has been the trope of the rom-com since Carole Lombard crumpled in the arms of John Barrymore, but today’s ostensive “trainwrecks” transcend the genre and the Hollywood arena.
From Salon ● Aug. 10, 2015
No proof, in a question of that nature, can be so showy and ostensive to a stranger, as that which is supplied by this vindictive pamphlet.
From Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine — Volume 55, No. 340, February, 1844 by Various
No proof, in a question of that nature, can be so showy and ostensive to a stranger as that which is supplied by this vindictive pamphlet.
From Theological Essays and Other Papers — Volume 2 by Thomas De Quincey
This instinct is far stronger and has more very ostensive outcrops than in any other age and land, and it is less controlled by the authority of school or the home.
From Creative Impulse in Industry A Proposition for Educators by Helen Marot
Apagogic, -al, ap-a-goj′ik, -al, adj. proving indirectly by an apagoge or reduction to an absurdity, the truth of the thesis being evinced through the falsehood of its opposite—opposed to direct or ostensive proof.
From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 1 of 4: A-D) by Various
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.
