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Meanings of ostensible in English

Appearing as such but not necessarily so.

Related terms

Represented or appearing as such; pretended.

Related terms
Synonyms
Examples for "apparent"
Examples for "apparent"
1
He's great at both and I thought it was really apparent today.
Reuters
2
However, a general decrease of alcohol-related deaths was apparent in all countries.
Pubmed
3
It soon becomes apparent her work requires physical strength beyond most people.
Reuters
4
Forebodings vanished; hearts lightened; gladness reigned; the excellence of crumpets became apparent.
The Roll-Call
5
Several minutes and an apparent change of heart later, the waiter reappeared.
The Irish Times
1
Peterborough continued to press forward, looking promising without ever quite seeming dangerous.
The Guardian
2
That seeming detail of plant geography had enormous implications for politics today.
Guns, germs, and steel: the fates of human societies
3
However, we are also increasingly at risk from more benign seeming sources.
The South African
4
Fear of freedom beyond the constraints now, and seeming wonderfully free already.
Blood music
5
This seeming want of gratitude in the boy astonished the Roman general.
Tales from Shakespeare
Usage of ostensible in English
1
The ostensible object of the insurgents now is not the real one.
A Compilation of the Messages and Papers of the Presidents. Volu...
2
The state of his health was the ostensible cause of his departure.
Biographies of Distinguished Scientific Men / First Series
3
At noon I dropped our ostensible position back the other ten miles.
Gulf coast girl: original title, scorpion reef
4
Nor had he been sent out with this ostensible object in view.
The Father of British Canada: a Chronicle of Carleton
5
Well, under the ostensible guise of protecting our liberties, they compromise them.
The Verge
6
She felt that these words covered something more than their ostensible meaning.
The Daughters of Danaus
7
Health risks from ostensible occupational and environmental toxicant exposure are difficult to quantify.
Pubmed
8
Twitter is not the first company to try for an ostensible patent treaty.
Wired
9
Its ostensible purpose was to eliminate Palestinian strongholds in southern Lebanon.
The new yorker
10
They generally appear in the ostensible state of barbers and dyers.
Personal Narrative of a Pilgrimage to Al-Madinah & Meccah — Volu...
11
This was the ostensible purpose of the journey to the fort.
In the Heart of the Rockies: A Story of Adventure in Colorado
12
The ostensible theory of the Crown was to reconcile the Colonies.
The Bay State Monthly — Volume 1, No. 5, May, 1884
13
A stick of pineapple chewing gum was the ostensible object of the call.
Strictly Business: More Stories of the Four Million
14
There is always a subtext, supporting, amplifying and sometimes subverting the ostensible subject.
The Guardian
15
And then the traditional and ostensible England falls from you altogether.
Tono-Bungay
16
To please me, her cousin; this is, indeed, the ostensible cause.
The Letters of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart — Volume 01
About this term
More collocations
Ostensible through the time
Ostensible across language varieties
United Kingdom
Common
United States of America
Common