ostensible
playWhat It Means
Ostensible means "seeming or said to be true or real but very possibly not true or real."
// The ostensible purpose of a filibuster is to extend debate.
ostensible in Context
"The Globetrotters … have acquired a loyal following thanks to family-friendly events in which players show off such records-worthy skills and interact with fans while still managing to wallop their ostensible opponents." — Peter Tonguette, The Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch, 22 Dec. 2021
Did You Know?
Ostensible comes from Latin ostendere, meaning "to show," and the word suggests a discrepancy between a declared or implied aim or reason and the true one.
Quiz
Fill in the blanks to complete a word meaning "marked by or given to strikingly elaborate or colorful display or behavior": f _ _ _ b _ _ a _ t.
VIEW THE ANSWERPodcast
More Words of the Day
-
Dec 07
lachrymose
-
Dec 06
solace
-
Dec 05
abdicate
-
Dec 04
celerity
-
Dec 03
perceptible
-
Dec 02
gloaming