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.
The word “DeFiant” was a coy wink to this idea of decentralized currency, known as DeFi, the ostensible rationale for the new Trump–Witkoff platform.
From Slate ● Jul. 22, 2026
Even those who were asking for clear specifics from ownership were nearly all in favor of granting the conditional-use permit, which was the ostensible purpose of the meeting.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 12, 2026
Fitzgerald Mosley will need the help of her ostensible supporters if she wants to say just that.
From Salon ● Feb. 22, 2026
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
By the time the weary marchers trudged into Jackson, the furor over Black Power had eclipsed discussion of voter registration, the march’s ostensible purpose.
From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson
Vocabulary lists containing ostensible
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Words That Could Go Either Way: Synonyms for "Maybe"
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