ostensibly

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ostensibly

/ɒˈstɛn.sɪ.bli/ UK
/ɑˈstɛn.sə.bli/ US
/ɔˈstɛn.sə.bli/ US
/əˈstɛn.sə.bli/ US

adverb

modal, not comparable Seemingly, apparently, on the surface; supposedly, according to representations or implications made by someone (especially when their motives are suspected by others). Near-synonyms: reportedly, reputedly, purportedly, putatively, rumoredly, supposedly, allegedly, possibly, probably, likely, plausibly, presumably; see also Thesaurus:ostensibly
Similar: apparently, arguably, at first blush, ostensively, seemingly, reportedly, reputedly, purportedly, putatively, rumoredly, supposedly, allegedly

Opposite: actually

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: seemingly, apparently, markedly, conspicuously, appearance, visibly, demonstrably, evidently, presumably, purportedly, reportedly, supposedly, clearly, considerably, obviously, manifestly

adverb

Opposite: actually

Translations

Every language

adv ostensibly

Español	ostensiblemente
日本語	うわべは uwabe wa, 表向きは omotemuki wa
Português	ostensivamente
Français	ostensiblement, soi-disant, en apparence
Deutsch	vorgeblich, offenbar, offensichtlich, anscheinend
Ελληνικά	φαινομενικά fainomeniká, δήθεν díthen, κατ’ επίφαση kat’ epífasi
Русский	я́кобы jákoby, вроде как vrode kak
العربية	فِي مَا يَبْدُو fī mā yabdū, عَلَى مَا يَبْدُو ʕalā mā yabdū, حَسَبَ الظَّاهِرِ ḥasaba ẓ-ẓāhiri, فِي ظَاهِرِ الْأَمْرِ fī ẓāhiri l-ʔamri

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MLA

"ostensibly." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/ostensibly. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

ostensibly. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/ostensibly

Chicago

"ostensibly." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/ostensibly.

BibTeX

@misc{ostensibly_2026,
  title = {ostensibly},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/ostensibly},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}