Ostensible

adjective

/ɒˈstɛn.sɪ.bəl/

Stated or appearing to be true or genuine, but not necessarily so; outwardly professed as the reason or purpose while the real one may differ. It signals a gap between the surface justification and the underlying reality.

✍️ Usage in a UPSC answer

The ostensible objective of the subsidy regime was rural welfare, yet its design conferred disproportionate gains on large agribusinesses, exposing a familiar gap between the professed and the operative goals of public policy.

Synonyms

apparentprofessedpurportedseemingsupposednominal

Antonyms

genuineactualrealtrue

🌱 Word Family

ostensibly (adv), ostend (v), ostensive (adj), ostensiveness (n)

🔡 Root

Latin ob- = towards; tendere = to stretch → ostendere = to show; ostensibilis = capable of being shown

📜 Etymology

From French ostensible, from Medieval Latin ostensibilis 'showable, capable of being shown', from Latin ostensus/ostentus, past participle of ostendere 'to show, hold out for inspection' (ob- 'towards' + tendere 'to stretch'). First attested in English c. 1734.

🧠 Memory Hook

Think "ostensible = on-stage visible": Latin ostendere means "to show." What is shown on stage is the ostensible face, while the real motive waits in the wings.

🤝 International Relations 📖 Seen in: India's Foreign Policy — Evolution, Do...

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