ostensive

ostensive
ostensible, ostensive
Ostensible means ‘apparent but not necessarily real’ or ‘professed’:

• Despite their ostensible commitment to revolution, they played an ambivalent and ultimately counter-revolutionary role —E. Acton, 1992.

It is often used in the adverbial form ostensibly:

• All such songs were ostensibly aimed at the respectable record-buyer, for whom seeing Frankie Vaughan in cabaret at the Talk of the Town was the acme of sophistication —Arts & Book Review, 2007.

Ostensive, a much rarer word, means ‘directly demonstrative’ and is normally used in technical contexts with words such as definition (meaning a definition that shows what it describes, e.g. a definition of the term italics printed in italics):

• If one attempts to teach a dog by way of ostensive definition, it invariably responds by sniffing one's finger —A. F. Chalmers, 1992.

To complete the picture, ostentatious, which is less likely to be confused with the other two, means ‘pretentious and showy’.

Modern English usage. 2014.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Ostensive — Os*ten sive, a. Showing; exhibiting. [1913 Webster] {Ostensive demonstration} (Math.), a direct or positive demonstration, as opposed to the apagogical or indirect method. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • ostensive — [ä sten′siv] adj. [Fr ostensif < ML ostensivus] 1. directly pointing out; clearly demonstrative 2. OSTENSIBLE (sense 1) ostensively adv …   English World dictionary

  • Ostensive demonstration — Ostensive Os*ten sive, a. Showing; exhibiting. [1913 Webster] {Ostensive demonstration} (Math.), a direct or positive demonstration, as opposed to the apagogical or indirect method. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Ostensive definition — An ostensive definition conveys the meaning of a term by pointing out examples. This type of definition is often used where the term is difficult to define verbally, either because the words will not be understood (as with children and new… …   Wikipedia

  • ostensive — adjective Date: 1782 1. ostensible 2 2. of, relating to, or constituting definition by exemplifying the thing or quality being defined • ostensively adverb …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • ostensive — ostensively, adv. /o sten siv/, adj. 1. clearly or manifestly demonstrative. 2. ostensible. [1595 1605; < ML ostensivus, equiv. to L ostens(us), var. of ostentus ptp. of ostendere to present, display (o(b)s , var. of ob OB + tend(ere) to stretch… …   Universalium

  • ostensive — adjective a) Apparently true, but not necessarily; ostensible b) Clearly demonstrative. See Also: ostentatious, ostentation …   Wiktionary

  • ostensive — (Roget s Thesaurus II) adjective Appearing as such but not necessarily so: apparent, external, ostensible, outward, seeming, superficial. See SURFACE …   English dictionary for students

  • ostensive — É‘ stensɪv /É’ adj. shown to be so, demonstrated; ostensible …   English contemporary dictionary

  • ostensive — adjective Linguistics denoting a way of defining by direct demonstration, e.g. pointing. Derivatives ostensively adverb ostensiveness noun Origin C16: from late L. ostensivus, from ostens (see ostensible) …   English new terms dictionary

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