ISEE/SSAT Vocabulary BuilderWordsOostensible
ISEE/SSAThard
ostensible
Meaning: appearing or claimed to be true, but not necessarily so
ostensible in a sentence
How ostensible is used in real sentences:
The ostensible purpose of the visit was trade, though the delegates mainly discussed defense.
The expedition's ostensible goal was research, but its secret orders concerned military maps.
“A lawyer's ostensible request for clarification may appear innocent while actually steering a witness toward a preferred answer.”
— from the passage Between Speech and Judgment
“Their ostensible complaint was his brisk interpretation of the symphony, though their whispered jokes suggested that his youth offended them more than his choices.”
— from the passage The Unfinished Finale
Synonyms for ostensible
Other words for ostensible — apparent, professed and purported — carry the same meaning.
- apparent
- professed
- purported
Antonyms of ostensible
Words that mean the opposite of ostensible:
- actual
- genuine
- real
Where it comes from
From Latin ostensibilis, meaning 'able to be shown.'
Memory hook
OSTENSIBLE starts like OSTENTATION, a show: it is what appears to be true.
Practice ostensible in the app