ostensible

== English == === 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. === Pronunciation === (UK) IPA(key): /ɒˈstɛns.ɪ.bəl/ (US) IPA(key): /ɑˈstɛns.ɪ.bəl/ Hyphenation: os‧ten‧si‧ble === Adjective === ostensible (comparative more ostensible, superlative most ostensible) Apparent, evident; meant for open display. 1956–1960, R.S. Peters, The Concept of Motivation, Routledge & Kegan Paul (second edition, 1960), chapter ii: “Motives and Motivation”, page 32: Motives, of course, may be mixed; but this only means that a man aims at a variety of goals by means of the same course of action. Similarly a man may have a strong motive or a weak one, an ulterior motive or an ostensible one. Appearing as such; being such in appearance; professed, supposed (rather than demonstrably true or real). ==== Antonyms ==== (antonym(s) of “meant for open display”): ulterior ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Related terms ==== ostensive ostentatious ostentation ==== Translations ==== === References === “ostensible”, in OneLook Dictionary Search. === Anagrams === bilestones == French == === Etymology === Formed, with the suffix -ible, from Latin ostēnsus, past participle of ostendō (“to show”), itself from obs- (“in front of”) (akin to Latin ob- (“in the way”), Ancient Greek ἐπι- (epi-, “on, at, besides, after”), Old English eofot (“crime”)) + tendō (“to stretch”); or borrowed from Medieval Latin ostēnsibilis. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ɔs.tɑ̃.sibl/ === Adjective === ostensible (plural ostensibles) apparent ==== Derived terms ==== ostensiblement ==== Related terms ==== ostentateur ostentatoire === Further reading === “ostensible”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012 == Spanish == === Etymology === Borrowed from Medieval Latin ostēnsibilis. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ostenˈsible/ [os.t̪ẽnˈsi.β̞le] Rhymes: -ible Syllabification: os‧ten‧si‧ble === Adjective === ostensible m or f (masculine and feminine plural ostensibles) ostensible, apparent ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Related terms ==== === Further reading === “ostensible”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025