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.

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

The book’s ostensible subject is the 1985 trial of Louisiana’s governor, Edwin Edwards, for fraud, bribery and racketeering.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 23, 2026

So too have been the ostensible efficiencies that AI brings to businesses.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 30, 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