ostensible
/ɒˈstɛnsɪb(ə)l
/adjective [attributive]
Stated or appearing to be true, but not necessarily so: the real dispute which lay behind the ostensible complaint...
- Given that the country does not appear to have been invaded by a foreign power, what is the ostensible cause of this nationwide panic?
- It is, after all, made up of ostensible competitors who are allied for the common good.
- The ostensible ease with which he makes such jumps unsettles even loyal supporters.
Synonyms
apparent, seeming, outward, surface, superficial, professed, supposed, avowed, presumed, so-called, alleged, declared, claimed, purported, pretended, feigned, specious
rare ostensive
Derivatives
ostensibility
Origin
Mid 18th century: from French, from medieval Latin ostensibilis from Latin ostens- 'stretched out to view', from the verb ostendere, from ob- 'in view of' + tendere 'to stretch'.