Flagrant vs Ostensible - What's the difference?
flagrant | ostensible |
Obvious and offensive, blatant, scandalous
* 1740, David Hume, A Treatise of Human Nature
(archaic) On fire, flaming.
Apparent, evident; meant for open display.
* 1956–1960 , (second edition, 1960), chapter ii: “Motives and Motivation”, page 32:
* '>citation
Appearing as such; being such in appearance; professed, supposed (rather than demonstrably true or real).
As adjectives the difference between flagrant and ostensible
is that flagrant is obvious and offensive, blatant, scandalous or flagrant can be (obsolete) while ostensible is apparent, evident; meant for open display.flagrant
English
Alternative forms
* flagraunt (qualifier)Etymology 1
From (etyl) flagrant, from (etyl) flagrantem, present participle of . More at (l).Adjective
(en adjective)- It is certain, therefore, that in all our notions of morals we never entertain such an absurdity as that of passive obedience, but make allowances for resistance in the more flagrant instances of tyranny and oppression.
Synonyms
* (obvious and offensive) blatant, glaring * (on fire) burning, flamingEtymology 2
From (etyl)ostensible
English
Adjective
(en adjective)- Motives, of course, may be mixed; but this only means that a man aims at a variety of goals by means of the same course of action. Similarly a man may have a strong motive or a weak one, an ulterior motive or an ostensible one.
- In witch-trials the conflict was officially defined as between the accused and God, or between the accused and the Catholic (later Protestant) church, as God's earthly representative. [...]
Behind the ostensible conflict of the witch-trial lay the usual conflicts of social class, values, and human relationships.
- The ostensible reason for his visit to New York was to see his mother, but the real reason was to get to the Yankees game the next day.