Deceptive and Ostensible

Deceptive

Deceptive adjective - Tending or having power to deceive.

Ostensible and deceptive are semantically related. In some cases you can use "Ostensible" instead an adjective "Deceptive".

Nearby Words: deceive, deception, deceit, deceptively

Ostensible

Ostensible adjective - Appearing to be true on the basis of evidence that may or may not be confirmed.
Usage example: the ostensible reason for the meeting turned out to be a trick to get him to the surprise party

Deceptive and ostensible are semantically related. Sometimes you can use "Deceptive" instead an adjective "Ostensible".

Nearby Word: ostensibly
Cite this Source
Ostensible and Deceptive. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 22, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/deceptive/ostensible
Deceptive & Ostensible. N.p., 2016. Web. 22 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/deceptive/ostensible>.
Ostensible or Deceptive. 2016. Accessed July 22, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/deceptive/ostensible.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "deceptive" and "ostensible" have occurred on timeline