ostensible


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Related to ostensible: wangle, Ostensible authority

os·ten·si·ble

(ŏ-stĕn′sə-bəl)
adj.
Represented or appearing as such; ostensive: His ostensible purpose was charity, but his real goal was popularity.
[French, from Medieval Latin ostēnsibilis, from Latin ostēnsus, past participle of ostendere, to show : ob-, ob- + tendere, to stretch; see ten- in Indo-European roots.]
os·ten′si·bly adv.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

ostensible

(ɒˈstɛnsɪbəl)
adj
1. apparent; seeming
2. pretended
[C18: via French from Medieval Latin ostensibilis, from Latin ostendere to show, from ob- before + tendere to extend]
osˌtensiˈbility n
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

os•ten•si•ble

(ɒˈstɛn sə bəl)

adj.
outwardly appearing as such; professed; pretended.
[1720–30; < French < Latin ostēsn(us), variant of ostentus, past participle of ostendere to present, display (o(b)s-, variant of ob- ob- + tendere to stretch)]
os•ten′si•bly, adv.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Adj. 1. ostensible - appearing as such but not necessarily so; "for all his apparent wealth he had no money to pay the rent"; "the committee investigated some apparent discrepancies"; "the ostensible truth of their theories"; "his seeming honesty"
superficial - concerned with or comprehending only what is apparent or obvious; not deep or penetrating emotionally or intellectually; "superficial similarities"; "a superficial mind"; "his thinking was superficial and fuzzy"; "superficial knowledge"; "the superficial report didn't give the true picture"; "only superficial differences"
2. ostensible - represented or appearing as such; pretended; "His ostensible purpose was charity, his real goal popularity"
counterfeit, imitative - not genuine; imitating something superior; "counterfeit emotion"; "counterfeit money"; "counterfeit works of art"; "a counterfeit prince"
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

ostensible

adjective apparent, seeming, supposed, alleged, so-called, pretended, exhibited, manifest, outward, superficial, professed, purported, avowed, specious the ostensible reason for his resignation
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

ostensible

adjective
Appearing as such but not necessarily so:
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
ظاهِر، واضِح
tilsyneladende
angeblich ostensibel
näennäinen
navodnitobožnji
állítólagos
yfirskins-
nevatariamai
ārējsšķietams
görünürdekisözde

ostensible

[ɒsˈtensəbl] ADJ → aparente
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

ostensible

[ɒˈstɛnsəbəl] adj (= alleged) [reason, purpose, cause] → prétendu(e) before n
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

ostensible

adj, ostensibly
adv → angeblich
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

ostensible

[ɒsˈtɛnsəbl] adj → apparente
ostensible reason → pretesto
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

ostensible

(oˈstensəbl) adjective
(of reasons etc) apparent, but not necessarily true. Illness was the ostensible reason for his absence, but in fact he was just lazy. oënskynlik, skynbaar, kastig ظاهِر، واضِح привиден aparente předstíraný, zdánlivý angeblich tilsyneladende φαινομενικός aparente näiline ظاهری näennäinen prétendu מוּצהָר प्रकट, प्रत्यक्ष prividan állítólagos jelas yfirskins- apparente, presunto うわべだけの 표면상의 tariamas, netikras šķietams; ārējs kononnya ogenschijnlijk angivelig, tilsynelatende, påstått rzekomy, pozorny ظاهرى aparente aparent служащий предлогом predstieraný, zdanlivý očiten prividan skenbar เสแสร้ง görünürdeki, sözde 表面的 показний; удаваний نماياں، ظاہر có vẻ là 表面的
oˈstensibly adverb
oënskynlikheid كما يَظْهَر привидно aparentemente zdánlivě angeblich tilsyneladende φαινομενικά aparentemente teeseldult ظاهراً näennäisesti en apparence לְמַראִית עַיִן प्रकट रूप से prividno látszólag(osan) dengan jelas að því er virðist in apparenza 表向きは 표면상으로 tariamai, neva šķietami; ārēji kononnya ogenschijnlijk angivelig, etter alt å dømme rzekomo, pozornie ظاهراً aparentemente în aparenţă якобы zdanlivo očitno prividno skenbart อย่างแสดงให้เห็นภายนอก görünürde 表面上 удавано ظاہري طور پر bề ngoài là 表面上
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
References in classic literature ?
There is something ostensible in each of them, and in all probability something unseen and unproved, but to be imagined, also."
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The ostensible reason why Ahab did not go on board of the whaler we had spoken was this: the wind and sea betokened storms.
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I have formed the belief that the man who applauds that air with special violence and ostensible sectional loyalty is invariably a native of either Secaucus, N.J., or the district between Murray Hill Lyceum and the Harlem River, this city.
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On his deathbed Driscoll set Roxy free and delivered his idolized ostensible son solemnly into the keeping of his brother, the judge, and his wife.
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Effingham's personal property; all, or nearly all, of which was put into the possession of Temple, who was the only ostensible proprietor in the concern, while, in secret, the other was entitled to an equal participation in the profits.
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At first I thought of knocking, then I remembered my ostensible errand and resolved to carry it out.
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Mr Verloc cared but little about his ostensible business.
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But, while he was making this ostensible sacrifice to general considerations, Magua never lost sight of his individual motives.
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These poor ostensible freemen who were sharing their breakfast and their talk with me, were as full of humble reverence for their king and Church and nobility as their worst enemy could desire.
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The tourists were eagerly buying all sorts and styles of paper-cutters, marked "Souvenir of the Rigi," with handles made of the little curved horn of the ostensible chamois; there were all manner of wooden goblets and such things, similarly marked.
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The word was blunder; and as Harriet exultingly proclaimed it, there was a blush on Jane's cheek which gave it a meaning not otherwise ostensible. Mr.
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It must be confessed that these observations apply with principal weight to the first case supposed -- that is, to a plurality of magistrates of equal dignity and authority a scheme, the advocates for which are not likely to form a numerous sect; but they apply, though not with equal, yet with considerable weight to the project of a council, whose concurrence is made constitutionally necessary to the operations of the ostensible Executive.
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