ostensible
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
That Belmondo morphs from appealing photojournalist to unlikable sexual cad while the picture’s ostensible star—Claude Brasseur as an inadvertent cop killer—disappears for long stretches does the picture no favors.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 21, 2026
President Trump loves to define his ostensible political achievements and goals with big numbers.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 18, 2025
But notes of disillusion sound throughout this ostensible success story.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 14, 2025
Decades of relying on the rules of an ostensible meritocracy, however, have proven one thing: that it's an illusory social ideal.
From Salon • Jan. 30, 2025
The ostensible reason was that the numbers were easily changed and falsified.
From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife
Vocabulary lists containing ostensible
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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Words That Could Go Either Way: Synonyms for "Maybe"
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