ostensibly

From ostensible +‎ -ly.

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ɒˈstɛn.sɪ.bli/ or /ɒˈstɛn.sə.bli/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ɑːˈstɛn.sə.bli/

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• Hyphenation: os‧ten‧si‧bly

ostensibly (not comparable)

1. (modal) Seemingly, apparently, on the surface.

   Synonyms: apparently, arguably, at first blush, seemingly; see also Thesaurus:ostensibly

   • 1889, Stephen, Leslie; Lee, Sidney, 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 1150866071:

     Up to a year or two ago it had been the custom to kill horses in the yards — ostensibly for fertilizer; […]

   • 2007, Herbert, Brian; Anderson, Kevin J, 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?”, in 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."

• ostensive

• ostensibly at OneLook Dictionary Search