ostensible.

Presented or apparent as the reason, purpose, or character of something, whether or not it is the actual one.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• ostensible purpose
• ostensible reason

On the page

The ostensible purpose of the visit was to return a book.

He accepted the ostensible reason without pretending it was the only one.

Usage notes

Primary category: literary. Forms: Comparative more ostensible; superlative most ostensible where gradation is meaningful. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings.