what does mean "ostensibly" in this sentence?
Meanwhile, Daniel regularly received telegrams, ostensibly from his brother-in-law in the colonie, promising the leader of Movement that he would soon return, thus stalling him in any move he might make against the Order's forces.

Did Daniel believe those letters were from his brother? Or he was trying to hurt him somehow?

Thank you!

Question

what does mean "ostensibly" in this sentence?
Meanwhile, Daniel regularly received telegrams, ostensibly from his brother-in-law in the colonie, promising the leader of Movement that he would soon return, thus stalling him in any move he might make against the Order's forces.

Did Daniel believe those letters were from his brother? Or he was trying to hurt him somehow?

Thank you!

Answer

'Apparently' would be a good alternative or 'it seemed to be'. It comes into English from the Latin verb OSTENDERE = to show. It is a fairly high level word and I am sure a lot of native English speakers may not know what it means!

Good luck!

Roddy

Answer

In this context, ostensibly means; supposedly or apparently.

Daniel believes the letters are from his brother-in-law.

Answer

Ostensibly, I will answer your question, but

Answer

It means that the letters looked like they were from his brother, but possibly they weren't. For example: "Ostensibly my flat looks very large, but really it's quite cramped."

Hope this helps

Answers · 8

Still haven’t found your answers?

Don’t miss out on the opportunity to learn a language from the comfort of your own home. Browse our selection of experienced language tutors and enroll in your first lesson now!