Ostensible vs Conspicuous - What's the difference?
ostensible | conspicuous |
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).
Obvious or easy to notice.
* {{quote-book, year=1928, author=Lawrence R. Bourne
, title=Well Tackled!
, chapter=7 Noticeable or attracting attention, especially if unattractive.
* 1969 , Saul Bellow, Mr Sammler's Planet , Penguin Books Ltd, page 6:
As adjectives the difference between ostensible and conspicuous
is that ostensible is apparent, evident; meant for open display while conspicuous is obvious or easy to notice.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.
Derived terms
* ostensiblyAntonyms
* (meant for open display)References
* ----conspicuous
English
Adjective
(en adjective)citation, passage=“No, don't,” replied the superintendent; “in fact, I'd rather you made yourself conspicuous elsewhere. Go down to the landing stage and cross to New Brighton or Wallasey—doesn't matter which—and come back. No doubt you will be seen, and reported to have gone across.”}}
- He was conspicuous by his absence.
- For his height he had a small face. The combination made him conspicuous .
- He had a conspicuous lump on his forehead.