ostensibly
Language: English
Part of speech: adv
Pronunciation: ipa: /ɒˈstɛn.sɪ.bli/
other: /ɒˈstɛn.sə.bli/
ipa: /ɑːˈstɛn.sə.bli/
Etymology: From ostensible + -ly.
Senses: examples: text: Near-synonyms: reportedly, reputedly, purportedly, putatively, rumoredly, supposedly, allegedly, possibly, probably, likely, plausibly, presumably; see also Thesaurus:ostensibly
text: His interest in the railway was ostensibly a hobby, but people began wondering why he was taking photos of specific trains and specific equipment.
text: Her interest in his welfare was ostensibly charitable and magnanimous, but people began wondering who was going to inherit his assets when he died.
text: On 13 June the peshwa signed a new treaty, ostensibly complying with the demands of the British government[…]
ref: 1889, Leslie Stephen, Sidney Lee, Dictionary of National Biography:
text: Up to a year or two ago it had been the custom to kill horses in the yards — ostensibly for fertilizer; […]
ref: 1905 April–October, Upton Sinclair, chapter IX, in The Jungle, New York, N.Y.: Doubleday, Page & Company, published 26 February 1906, →OCLC:
text: The original branch was 5¾ miles long, from Llantrisant to Cowbridge only, but in 1889, the T.V.R. [Taff Vale Railway] obtained powers […] to continue the line for 6½ miles south to the coast at Aberthaw, ostensibly for the purpose of serving the important limestone works there, but one suspects other motives, including an understandable desire on the part of the T.V.R. to put a spoke in the wheel of the oncoming Barry Railway !
ref: 1951 December, T. B. Sands, “Some Railway Byways in the Vale of Glamorgan”, in Railway Magazine, page 838:
text: People strive to achieve perfection — ostensibly an honorable goal — but complete perfection is dangerous. To be imperfect, but human, is far preferable.
ref: 2007, Brian Herbert, Kevin J Anderson, Sandworms of Dune:
text: 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."
ref: 2007 April 10, “Who Killed Ashraf Marwan?”, in The New York Times, retrieved 18 Sep 2015:
text: The "petrol clams" are fleshy and flavourful -- the secret to avoiding a hydrocarbon taste is not to inhale while slipping them into the mouth -- and a speciality of the West Sea Barrage beach at Nampho, southwest of Pyongyang.
The sandy beach lies at the far end of the eight-kilometre barrier across the Taedong river mouth -- ostensibly built for flood control, but which also blocks access to Pyongyang, a few dozen kilometres upriver, for any invading navy.
ref: 2017 August 3, “Shellfish, fire and Party praise: beach breaks, North Korea style”, in France 24, sourced from Nampho (North Korea) (AFP), archived from the original on 11 Nov 2020, Live news:
text: Quite possibly the worst aspect of this is the role of the train operating companies and their representative body, the ineptly named Rail Delivery Group (RDG). Ostensibly, the plan has come from them. In reality, this has been driven entirely by Government, which asked each train operator to draw up plans for its area.
ref: 2023 July 26, Christian Wolmar, “Closing ticket offices to lead to 'catch-22' for passengers”, in RAIL, number 988, page 42:
synonyms: apparently
arguably
at first blush
seemingly
glosses: Seemingly, apparently, on the surface; supposedly, according to representations or implications made by someone (especially when their motives are suspected by others).
Synonyms: word: apparently
word: at first blush
word: at first glance
word: at first sight
word: on the face of it
word: on the surface
word: ostensibly
word: outwardly
word: prima facie
topics: legal
law
word: seemingly
word: superficially
word: surfacely
word: to all appearances
Related terms: ostensible
ostensive