ostensible

3 synonyms and 4 antonyms for ostensible, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.

Adj — Clearly shown or stated openly, for everyone to see.

Synonyms

Everyday swaps

Common words most readers know — safe in any writing.

apparent

Less common

Still standard English, but they carry more weight.

seeming

Rare, literary or technical

Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.

ostensive

Synonyms by Meaning

1. adj

Clearly shown or stated openly, for everyone to see.

seeming ostensive apparent

Opposites

concealed

2. adj

Seeming to be true or real, though this may not actually be so.

“The ostensible reason for his visit to New York was to see his mother, but the real reason was to get to the Yankees game the next day.”

Opposites

actual real genuine

Etymology

Borrowed from French ostensible, formed with the suffix -ible, from Latin ostensus, the past participle of ostendō (“show”), itself from obs- (“in front of”) (akin to ob- (“in the way”)) + tendō (“stretch”) (akin to Ancient Greek τείνω (teínō)). Cf. also Medieval Latin ostensibilis.

Full origin of ostensible →

People also searched

real actual apparent genuine concealed seeming ostensive

Nearby words

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