How to Use ostensible in a Sentence

ostensible

adjective
Definition of ostensiblenext
Synonyms for ostensiblenext
  • Once again the ostensible premise is power — its use, abuse and the fight over who gets to wield it.
    — Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 22 Mar. 2023
  • On top of that, there’s the ostensible reason for the partying: the films.
    — Mia Galuppo, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 May 2022
  • So much of the ostensible plot of the series is broad and so much of the execution is quite droll.
    — Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 Feb. 2024
  • The ostensible purpose of all the pageantry was to celebrate the queen’s birthday, which was in April.
    — Mark Landler, New York Times, 2 June 2022
  • The ostensible reason for this is that Liza wasn’t holding the mic close enough (which doesn’t at all appear to be true).
    — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 19 June 2024
  • That gave conservatives on the high court an ostensible 6-3 edge for the first time in decades.
    — John Fritze, USA TODAY, 12 May 2021
  • In both cases, the ostensible purpose was to serve as a check on the integrity of the ballot.
    — Michael Wines, New York Times, 22 Nov. 2023
  • These are as much the subject of the book as its ostensible subject, piano lessons; these are life lessons.
    — Simon Callow, The New York Review of Books, 6 Apr. 2022
  • Now, envision the deep south in 1968, three years after the ostensible end of Jim Crow.
    — Kirsten West Savali, The Root, 19 Feb. 2018
  • McAuliffe’s ostensible role on the shuttle was to teach science lessons from space.
    — Washington Post, 20 June 2021
  • While the crispy, crunchy croquette of pig’s head is the ostensible star of this course, the brothy butter beans here play second fiddle to no one.
    — Jeremy Repanich, Robb Report, 29 Dec. 2022
  • This was the third election running in which Trump did as much to hurt his ostensible party as help it.
    — Robert Schlesinger, The New Republic, 16 Nov. 2022
  • The ostensible point of the meeting is to share announcements, discuss the events of the week, create new rules, and greet new arrivals.
    — Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 9 Nov. 2020
  • Many were delighted to see this ostensible paragon of virtue take a fall.
    — Dwight Garner, New York Times, 19 Mar. 2018
  • Always the ostensible lessons of World War II hovered in the background.
    — Andrew J. Bacevich, The New Republic, 9 June 2020
  • By the time Kurczy does return to the book’s ostensible theme, the clichés are coming fast and furious.
    — Chris Lehmann, The New Republic, 3 Sep. 2021
  • The one-year anniversary this month of his death provides the ostensible hook for this followup.
    — Brian Lowry, CNN, 7 Aug. 2020
  • Hours later, the event had been cancelled, with a sudden heat wave as the ostensible culprit.
    — Jemima McEvoy, Forbes, 29 Sep. 2021
  • The ostensible purpose of the Democratic senators’ brief is to support the city’s claims that the case is moot and should be dismissed.
    — David French, National Review, 15 Aug. 2019
  • Jean-Claude Van Damme, the film's ostensible lead, has since admitted to having a drug problem at the time of filming.
    — Keith Langston and Randall Colburn, EW.com, 6 May 2023
  • The ostensible purpose of Hunt’s visit to Surrey is to open a sports day and submit to a grilling from schoolchildren.
    — The Economist, 19 July 2019
  • Angourie Rice plays our ostensible heroine Cady Heron as more of an earnest naif.
    — Katie Walsh, Twin Cities, 11 Jan. 2024
  • In this way, age, an ostensible blemish on the bliss of existence, becomes a form of beauty in and of itself.
    — Danny Heitman, The Christian Science Monitor, 3 Nov. 2020
  • His departure leaves Jonathan Bernier, playing in the final year of a three-year contract, the Wings’ ostensible No. 1 goalie.
    — Ryan Ford, Detroit Free Press, 2 Oct. 2020
  • The aside had little to do with the ostensible purpose of the event: criminal justice reform.
    — New York Times, 8 Nov. 2019
  • Every week, the shiny, ostensible purveyor of everything that was of import in the world arrived in the mail.
    — Leila Cobo, Billboard, 12 Jan. 2022
  • The ostensible rationale is a contest to spend a week in the house, along with six (naturally) guests.
    — Brian Lowry, CNN, 9 Sep. 2019
  • The ostensible purpose of some of these studies was to learn more about the history and genetics of the Roma people.
    — New York Times, 17 Nov. 2021
  • Take the ostensible lead, River Cartwright (Jack Lowden).
    — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 9 Oct. 2024
  • The ostensible target of these attacks is the militant group Hezbollah.
    — Firas Maksad, TIME, 24 Sep. 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ostensible.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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