ostensible

• POS: Adjective
• HYPHEN: os=ten=si=ble

CIDE DICTIONARY

ostensible, a. [From L. ostensus, p. p. of ostendere to show, prop., to stretch out before; fr. prefix obs- (old form of ob-) + tendere to stretch. See Tend.].

•  Capable of being shown; proper or intended to be shown.  Walpole.  [1913 Webster]
•  Outwardly appearing to be; shown to be; exhibited; apparent; evident.  [1913 Webster]
•  Declared; avowed; professed; pretended; -- often used as opposed to real or actual; as, an ostensible reason, motive, or aim.  D. Ramsay.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

ostensible, adj. concealing the real; professed (his ostensible function was that of interpreter).

Derivative

ostensibly adv.

Etymology

F f. med.L ostensibilis f. L ostendere ostens- stretch out to view (as OB-, tendere stretch)

THESAURUS

ostensible

Barmecidal, Barmecide, airy, alleged, apparent, apparitional, appearing, arrant, autistic, avowed, blatant, bold, chimeric, claimed, colorable, colored, conspicuous, deceptive, delusional, delusionary, delusive, delusory, dereistic, dreamlike, dreamy, erroneous, fallacious, false, fantastic, flagrant, gilded, glaring, hanging out, hypocritical, illusional, illusionary, illusive, illusory, imaginary, in name only, in relief, in the foreground, meretricious, misleading, notable, noticeable, notorious, obtrusive, outstanding, outward, phantasmagoric, phantasmal, phantom, plausible, pretended, pretexted, professed, prominent, pronounced, purported, salient, seeming, self-deceptive, self-deluding, so-called, specious, spectral, staring, stark-staring, sticking out, striking, superficial, supposed, supposititious, surface, tinsel, to the eye, unactual, unfounded, unreal, unsubstantial, visible, visionary

ROGET THESAURUS

ostensible

Appearance

N appearance, phenomenon, sight, spectacle, show, premonstration, scene, species, view, coup d'oeil, lookout, outlook, prospect, vista, perspective, bird's-eye view, scenery, landscape, picture, tableau, display, exposure, mise en sc ne, rising of the curtain, phantasm, phantom, pageant, spectacle, peep-show, raree-show, gallanty-show, ombres chinoises, magic lantern, phantasmagoria, dissolving views, biograph, cinematograph, moving pictures, panorama, diorama, cosmorama, georama, coup de theatre, jeu de theatre, pageantry, insignia, aspect, angle, phase, phasis, seeming, shape, guise, look, complexion, color, image, mien, air, cast, carriage, port, demeanor, presence, expression, first blush, face of the thing, point of view, light, lineament feature trait lines, outline, outside, contour, face, countenance, physiognomy, visage, phiz, cast of countenance, profile, tournure, cut of one s jib, metoposcopy, outside, apparent, seeming, ostensible, on view, apparently, to all seeming, to all appearance, ostensibly, seemingly, as it seems, on the face of it, prima facie, at the first blush, at first sight, in the eyes of, to the eye, editio princeps.

Probability

N probability, likelihood, credibleness, likeliness, vraisemblance, verisimilitude, plausibility, color, semblance, show of, presumption, presumptive evidence, circumstantial evidence, credibility, reasonable chance, fair chance, good chance, favorable chance, reasonable prospect, fair prospect, good prospect, favorable prospect, prospect, wellgrounded hope, chance, probable, likely, hopeful, to be expected, in a fair way, plausible, specious, ostensible, colorable, ben trovato, well-founded, reasonable, credible, easy of belief, presumable, presumptive, apparent, probably, belike, in all probability, in all likelihood, very likely, most likely, like enough, odds on, odds in favor, ten to one, apparently, seemingly, according to every reasonable expectation, prim=a facie, to all appearance, the chances, the odds are, appearances are in favor of, chances are in favor of, there is reason to believe, there is reason to think, there is reason to expect, I dare say, all Lombard Street to a China orange.

Manifestation

N manifestation, plainness, plain speaking, expression, showing, exposition, demonstration, exhibition, production, display, show, showing off, premonstration, exhibit, indication, publicity, disclosure, openness panchement, evidence, manifest, apparent, salient, striking, demonstrative, prominent, in the foreground, notable, pronounced, flagrant, notorious, arrant, stark staring, unshaded, glaring, defined, definite, distinct, conspicuous, obvious, evident, unmistakable, indubitable, not to be mistaken, palpable, self-evident, autoptical, intelligible, plain, clear, clear as day, clear as daylight, clear as noonday, plain as a pike staff, plain as the sun at noon-day, plain as the nose on one's face, plain as the way to parish church, explicit, overt, patent, express, ostensible, open, open as day, naked, bare, literal, downright, undisguised, exoteric, unreserved, frank, plain-spoken, candid (veracious), barefaced, manifested, disclosed, capable of being shown, producible, inconcealable, unconcealable, no secret, manifestly, openly, before one's eyes, under one's nose, to one's face, face to face, above board, cartes sur table, on the stage, in open court, in the open streets, in market overt, in the face of day, face of heaven, in broad daylight, in open daylight, without reserve, at first blush, prima facie, on the face of, in set terms, cela saute aux yeux, he that runs may read, you can see it with half an eye, it needs no ghost to tell us, the meaning lies on the surface, cela va sans dire, res ipsa loquitur, clothing the palpable and familiar, fari quae sentiat, volto sciolto i pensieri stretti, you don't need a weatherman to know which way the.