ISEE/SSAT Vocabulary Builder›Words›O›ostensible
ISEE/SSAThard
ostensible
appearing or claimed to be true, but not necessarily so
Synonyms
- apparent
- professed
- purported
Antonyms
- actual
- genuine
- real
ostensible in a sentence
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.
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.
Read it in context
- Between Speech and Judgment Social Science
- The Unfinished Finale Narrative
Practice ostensible in the app