ostensibly

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The Word “Ostensibly”: Meaning, Usage, and Translations Across 30 Languages

Definition: The word “ostensibly” is an adverb used to describe something that appears to be true or is claimed to be true, but may not actually be the case. It refers to something presented or shown in a way that seems obvious or apparent, but could be misleading or superficial. Essentially, it highlights a difference between appearance and reality.

Common Uses:

  1. To indicate appearance versus reality: “Ostensibly, he was just a tourist, but he was actually a spy.”
  2. When someone’s reasons or intentions seem different than what they actually are: “She ostensibly came to the party to meet her friends, but she had another agenda.”
  3. To describe something that is presented in a certain way: “The company is ostensibly committed to environmental causes, but its actions tell a different story.”

Example Sentences:

  • “The meeting was ostensibly about company profits, but they ended up discussing layoffs.”
  • “Ostensibly, they were on a vacation, but they were actually there to attend a secret meeting.”

Translations and Example Sentences in 30 Languages:

Language Translation Example Sentence
Spanish Ostensiblemente Ostensiblemente, ella vino a la fiesta para hablar con sus amigos.
French Ostensiblement Il est ostensiblement venu pour une conférence, mais c’était un espion.
German Ostensichtlich Ostensichtlich wollte er nur Urlaub machen, aber il a eu un autre but.
Italian Apparentemente Apparentemente, era solo un turista, ma in realtà era un investigatore.
Portuguese Ostensivamente Ostensivamente, ele estava apenas de férias, mas na verdade estava espionando.
Dutch Ogenschijnlijk Ogenschijnlijk was hij daar om vakantie te vieren, maar in werkelijkheid was hij een spion.
Russian Очевидно (Ochevidno) Очевидно, он был на отдыхе, но на самом деле он выполнял секретное задание.
Chinese (Simplified) 表面上 (Biǎomiàn shàng) 表面上他是一个游客，但实际上他是间谍。
Japanese 一見 (Ippen) 一見彼は観光客に見えたが、実際にはスパイだった。
Korean 표면적으로 (Pyo-myeon-jeog-euro) 표면적으로 그는 여행객이었지만 사실 그는 스파이였다.
Hindi आभासी रूप से (Aabhaasee Roop Se) आभासी रूप से, वह एक पर्यटक था, लेकिन असल में वह एक जासूस था।
Bengali আপাতদৃষ্টিতে (Apatadrishte) আপাতদৃষ্টিতে, সে একজন পর্যটক, কিন্তু প্রকৃতপক্ষে সে গুপ্তচর ছিল।
Turkish Görünüşte Görünüşte tatil yapmak için gelmişti ama gerçekte bir casustu.
Greek Φαινομενικά (Fainomeniká) Φαινομενικά, ήρθε για διακοπές, αλλά στην πραγματικότητα ήταν κατάσκοπος.
Hebrew לכאורה (Le’khora) לכאורה, הוא היה שם בשביל חופשה, אבל למעשה הוא היה מרגל.
Swedish Till synes Till synes var han där för en semester, men i verkligheten var han en spion.
Norwegian Tilsynelatende Tilsynelatende var han der for ferie, men i virkeligheten var han en spion.
Danish Tilsyneladende Tilsyneladende var han der på ferie, men i virkeligheden var han en spion.
Finnish Ilmeisesti Ilmeisesti hän oli lomalla, mutta todellisuudessa hän oli vakooja.
Polish Pozornie Pozornie był turystą, ale w rzeczywistości był szpiegiem.
Czech Zdánlivě Zdánlivě byl na dovolené, ale ve skutečnosti byl špion.
Hungarian Látszólag Látszólag turista volt, de valójában kém volt.
Romanian În mod aparent În mod aparent, el era doar un turist, dar în realitate era un spion.
Thai อย่างเห็นได้ชัด (Yàang hěn dâi chái) เขาดูเหมือนจะเป็นแค่ท่องเที่ยว แต่จริง ๆ แล้วเขาคือสายลับ
Vietnamese Hình thức bề ngoài Bề ngoài, anh ta là một khách du lịch, nhưng thực tế anh ta là một điệp viên.
Indonesian Secara lahiriah Secara lahiriah, dia tampaknya hanya seorang turis, namun dia adalah seorang mata-mata.
Malay Secara lahiriah Secara lahiriah, dia kelihatan seperti pelancong, tetapi sebenarnya dia adalah seorang perisik.
Swahili Kwa mfano Kwa mfano, alionekana kuwa mgeni, lakini kwa kweli alikuwa mpelelezi.
Filipino Sa panlabas Sa panlabas, siya ay isang turista, ngunit sa katunayan siya ay isang espiya.
Arabic ظاهريًا (Zahiriyan) ظاهريًا، كان يبدو وكأنه سائح، لكنه في الحقيقة كان جاسوسًا.

Additional Examples:

  1. Spanish:
    • “Ostensiblemente, ella vino para pasar el fin de semana con su familia.”
  2. French:
    • “Il est ostensiblement venu pour parler de business, mais il avait un autre objectif.”
  3. German:
    • “Er war ostensichtlich nur auf Geschäftsreise, aber er hatte noch einen geheimen Plan.”
  4. Italian:
    • “Apparentemente, si trovava lì per una conferenza, ma in realtà aveva un altro scopo.”
  5. Russian:
    • “Она ostensibly приехала для отдыха, но на самом деле она участвовала в секретной операции.”
  6. Chinese:
    • “他表面上是来参加会议的，但实际上他是为了某个秘密任务。”
  7. Japanese:
    • “彼は一見観光客のようだったが、実際には別の目的があった。”
  8. Korean:
    • “표면적으로 그는 휴가를 위해 온 것처럼 보였지만, 실제로는 다른 임무가 있었다.”
  9. Arabic:
    • “ظاهريًا، كانت تأتي للراحة، لكن في الحقيقة كان لديها مهمة أخرى.”
  10. Bengali:
  • “আপাতদৃষ্টিতে, সে সেখানে ঘুরতে এসেছে, তবে আসলে তার অন্য একটি উদ্দেশ্য ছিল।”

The word “ostensibly” highlights the gap between appearance and reality. It helps convey that something may seem true or evident at first glance, but closer examination might reveal a different story. This word is often used when discussing deceptive appearances, hidden agendas, or when one’s actions do not align with their proclaimed intentions. Understanding “ostensibly” allows us to communicate nuance and ambiguity effectively, emphasizing how things may not always be as they appear. Whether in everyday conversation, literature, or legal matters, the term can serve to expose the complexities beneath seemingly simple situations.

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