ostensibly

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English

Etymology

ostensible +‎ -ly, from French ostensible, from Latin ostēnsus, past participle of ostendō (I show), from ob (before) + tendō (I stretch out)

Pronunciation

  • Lua error in Module:parameters at line 290: Parameter 1 should be a valid language or etymology language code; the value "RP" is not valid. See WT:LOL and WT:LOL/E. IPA(key): /ɒˈstɛn.sɪ.bli/ or /ɒˈstɛn.sə.bli/
  • Lua error in Module:parameters at line 290: Parameter 1 should be a valid language or etymology language code; the value "US" is not valid. See WT:LOL and WT:LOL/E. IPA(key): /ɑːˈstɛn.sə.bli/
  • Audio (US):(file)
  • Audio (AU):(file)
  • Hyphenation: os‧ten‧si‧bly

Adverb

ostensibly (not comparable)

  1. (modal) Seemingly, apparently, on the surface.
    Synonyms: apparently, arguably, at first blush, seemingly
    • 1889, Leslie Stephen, Sidney Lee, Dictionary of national biography
      On 13 June the peshwa signed a new treaty, ostensibly complying with the demands of the British government...
    • 1905, Upton Sinclair, chapter IX, in The Jungle, New York, N.Y.: Doubleday, Page & Company, published 26 February 1906, →OCLC:
      Up to a year or two ago it had been the custom to kill horses in the yards — ostensibly for fertilizer...
    • 2007, Brian Herbert, Kevin J Anderson, Sandworms of Dune
      People strive to achieve perfection — ostensibly an honorable goal — but complete perfection is dangerous. To be imperfect, but human, is far preferable.
    • 2007 April 10, "Who Killed Ashraf Marwan?," The New York Times (retrieved 18 September 2015):
      Mr. Marwan’s story — a tale overflowing with the suspense and ruthless duplicity of a spy novel — began to take shape in the spring of 1969. He had come to London, ostensibly to consult a Harley Street doctor about a stomach ailment. He chose to be examined by a doctor whose offices had been used previously for a covert meeting between King Hussein of Jordan and the general director of the Israeli prime minister’s office."

Translations