Ostensibly: meaning, definitions and examples

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ostensibly

 

[ ษ™หˆstensษ™blฤ“ ]

Adverb
Context #1 | Adverb

in appearance

Apparently or purportedly, but perhaps not actually.

Synonyms

allegedly, apparently, supposedly

Examples of usage

  • Ostensibly, the company is doing well, but in reality, they are struggling.
  • She was ostensibly in charge of the project, but others were making all the decisions.
  • Ostensibly, the meeting was about budget cuts, but it quickly turned into a discussion about new projects.
Context #2 | Adverb

based on what seems true or likely

Used to indicate that a statement is probably true, although not certainly so.

Synonyms

likely, presumably, seemingly

Examples of usage

  • Ostensibly, the document was lost in the mail, but I suspect foul play.
  • She is ostensibly qualified for the job, but we need to verify her credentials.
  • Ostensibly, the price includes all taxes, but there may be additional fees.

Translations

Translations of the word "ostensibly" in other languages:

๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡น aparentemente

๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ณ เคชเฅเคฐเค•เคŸ เคฐเฅ‚เคช เคธเฅ‡

๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ช angeblich

๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ฉ konon

๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ฆ ะฝั–ะฑะธั‚ะพ

๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ฑ rzekomo

๐Ÿ‡ฏ๐Ÿ‡ต ่กจๅ‘ใ

๐Ÿ‡ซ๐Ÿ‡ท apparemment

๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡ธ aparentemente

๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡ท gรถrรผnรผลŸe gรถre

๐Ÿ‡ฐ๐Ÿ‡ท ํ‘œ๋ฉด์ƒ

๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฆ ุนู„ู‰ ู…ุง ูŠุจุฏูˆ

๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฟ zdรกnlivฤ›

๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฐ zdanlivo

๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ ่กจ้ขไธŠ

๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฎ navidezno

๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ธ aรฐ รพvรญ er virรฐist

๐Ÿ‡ฐ๐Ÿ‡ฟ ัั‹าฃะฐะนะปั‹

๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ช แƒ แƒแƒ’แƒแƒ แƒช แƒฉแƒแƒœแƒก

๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡ฟ gรถrรผnรผr ki

๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ฝ aparentemente

Word origin

The word 'ostensibly' comes from the Latin word 'ostendere', meaning 'to show'. It entered the English language in the early 19th century, originally used to mean 'apparently, but not necessarily truly'. Over time, it has come to be used more broadly to indicate something that appears to be true or likely. The adverb 'ostensibly' is commonly used in written and formal contexts to convey a sense of doubt or skepticism about the truth of a statement.

See also: ostensible.

Word Frequency Rank

Ranked #12,128, this word falls into high-advanced vocabulary. It appears less frequently but is valuable for expressing precise meanings in specific contexts.