ostensibly

Thân thiện

The company's meeting is ostensibly about team building.

Definition

Adverb: - From appearances alone; to all outward appearances; seemingly. Used to describe a situation where something is presented as true or as the reason for something, but there is a suggestion that the reality may be different.

Usage

Use "ostensibly" to introduce the stated, official, or surface-level reason for an action, which may not be the complete or genuine reason. It often implies a degree of doubt or skepticism about the truth of the stated purpose.

Examples

• The meeting was called ostensibly to discuss the budget, but everyone knew it was really about the upcoming layoffs.
• He traveled to the city ostensibly for a conference, but he spent most of his time visiting old friends.
• The law was passed ostensibly to protect consumers, though many argued it primarily benefited large corporations.

Advanced Usage

• "Ostensibly... but..." / "Ostensibly... however...": A common structure to contrast the stated reason with the implied real reason.
  • Ostensibly, the reorganization is about efficiency, but many see it as a power grab by the new manager.
• Used in formal writing, journalism, and analysis to diplomatically question motives without making a direct accusation.

Variants and Related Words

• Ostensible (adjective): Stated or appearing to be true, but not necessarily so.
  • His ostensible reason for resigning was poor health.

Synonyms

• Apparently
• Seemingly
• Outwardly
• Professedly (more formal)
• On the face of it (idiomatic synonym)

Antonyms

• Actually
• Really
• Genuinely
• Truly

Related Idioms and Phrases

• On the face of it: Based on the initial appearance or statement (similar in meaning and often used interchangeably in some contexts).
  • On the face of it, the proposal seems reasonable, but we need to examine the details.

Học thuật

Adverb

1. from appearances alone
   • irrigation often produces bumper crops from apparently desert land
   • the child is seemingly healthy but the doctor is concerned
   • had been ostensibly frank as to his purpose while really concealing it-Thomas Hardy
   • on the face of it the problem seems minor

Từ đồng nghĩa

• apparently
• seemingly
• on the face of it