Ostensible for Dummies

Ostensible is a word that we use to describe something that appears to be a certain way on the surface but may not actually be that way when we look closer. It's like when you see a shiny new toy in a store and it looks so amazing, but when you bring it home, you realize that it doesn't work as well as you thought it would. That toy was ostensibly good, but it didn't live up to its initial appearance.

Now, let's break it down a bit further. When we say something is ostensible, it means that it's being presented as true or real, but it might not be the whole truth. It's like when a friend says they can't hang out with you because they're busy, but then you see them hanging out with someone else. Their excuse of being busy was ostensible because it seemed true, but it wasn't the real reason.

Another way to think of ostensible is like an actor playing a role. When they're on stage, they're pretending to be someone else, and that's what the audience sees. But behind the scenes, they're just a regular person. So, the actor's job is to make their character seem real and believable, even though they know it's just ostensible because it's not who they truly are.

In summary, ostensible means something that appears to be true or real, but might not be the whole truth. It's like a shiny toy that doesn't work well or a friend who says they're busy but is actually hanging out with someone else. It's like an actor pretending to be someone they're not on stage. So, next time you come across something that seems true on the surface, but you're not quite sure, you can use the word ostensible to describe it.