ostensibly

WOTD - 5 April 2007    

English

Etymology

From ostensible < French ostensible < [[w:Template:lang:la language|Template:lang:la]][[Category:Template:lang:la derivations]] ostensus, past participle of ostendō ‘I show’, from ob ‘before’ + tendō ‘I stretch out’.

Pronunciation

• (RP) IPA: /ɒsˈtɛnsɪbli/ or /ɒsˈtɛnsəbli/
• (US) IPA: /ɑːsˈtɛnsəbli/
•  Audio (US)^{help, file}

Adverb

ostensibly (not comparable)

Positive ostensibly

Comparative not comparable

Superlative none (absolute)

1. seemingly, apparently, on the surface

   A bedroom is ostensibly the safest room in the house, but many parents started to think differently and install better window-security features when Elizabeth Smart was kidnapped from her own bedroom one night.

Synonyms

• (seemingly): apparently, arguably, at first blush, seemingly

Related terms

• ostensible
• ostensive

Translations

ostensibly

Dutch: ogenschijnlijk nl(nl), op het eerste gezicht nl(nl) Finnish: näennäisesti

Spanish: ostensiblemente es(es)

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