Meaning & use
ostensibly
Last updated
Apparently or according to what seems to be the case, though not necessarily true.
See it in a sentence
He was ostensibly working late, but he had actually left the office hours ago.
The meeting was ostensibly about budget cuts, though everyone suspected layoffs were coming.
A note on using this word
Often signals skepticism: the speaker states what appears to be true while hinting that the real situation may be different.
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