ostensible

ostensible (ɒˈstɛnsɪb^əl)

—*adj*
1.	apparent; seeming
2.	pretended

[C18: via French from Medieval Latin ostensibilis, from Latin ostendere to show, from ob- before + tendere to extend]

ostensi'bility

—n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

ostensible

1762, from Fr. ostensible, from L. ostensus, pp. of ostendere "to show," from ob "in front of" + tendere "to stretch" (see tenet).

Example sentences

It's rather sad to see ostensible progressives reinforcing this message.

Still earlier, the instilling of civic virtues was the ostensible major purpose of higher education.

The trial court correctly determined that the doctrine of ostensible authority controls in this case.

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Related Words

apparent joker pretext

pretext real

Matching Quote

"It might seem desirable to attempt a definition of play—not a dictionary definition but one that takes into account the psychological principles involved. We might define it as pleasurable activity in which the means is more important than the ostensible end. This clearly distinguishes it from work, and is in line with our hypothesis that, like work, play is an end in itself, an opportunity for the discharge of aggressive energy in not only painless but actually pleasurable forms, energy which would otherwise be repressed at a definite psychological expense or else expressed in harmful ways. Play acts out timelessly in pantomime, symbol, and gesture the unfulfillable aggressive and erotic wishes of the players. I say unfulfillable, although the fantasies of some play are actually realized later, as, for example, in the little girl's play with her doll."

-Karl Meninger