Ostensible is that which is noticeable.
Ostensible is a term that has its origin in the Latin word ostendĕre , which can be translated as “to show” . The ostensible, therefore, is that which is evident, visible to the naked eye or noticeable .
The adjective is used to describe what is manifested or what could be exhibited or noticed. For example: “After the blow, the player's leg began to show obvious swelling,” “The poster will make commerce more visible, something that can help us increase sales,” “The political party that governs this city “It has an ostensible nationalist ideology.”
conspicuous consumption
Within the judicial and political sphere, the term ostensible is used very frequently. Thus, it is considered that many of the political figures who have been imprisoned and convicted of corruption “uncovered ” themselves by making conspicuous wealth that was not commensurate with their salaries.
This is related to what is known as conspicuous consumption . This refers to the waste that is made on goods of all kinds with the clear objective of being able to demonstrate to others that one has a certain degree of wealth.
In the same way, there is also talk in these sectors of ostensible partner or apparent partner . Basically it is a concept that is used to refer to someone who does not have the requirements to be a legally established partner as such, but who, however, externally, does hold that position.
Thus, for example, the figure of ostensible partner may arise when a separation occurs in a specific company, but the names of the partners are not changed.
Conspicuous consumption reflects high purchasing power.
That which can be perceived or interpreted
The ostensible can be noticed through the senses (that is, physically) or emerge as the result of an interpretation or an intellectual process. In a similar sense, considering something to be ostensible may be a rather subjective issue or something closer to objectivity.
Suppose a music critic must review a rock band's new album. The specialist may indicate that the work shows an “obvious improvement in sound quality” : this expression implies a comparison between two albums and the critic's opinion. For someone else, perhaps, the sound quality of both discs is exactly the same.
On the other hand, an analyst may indicate that a politician's intention to run in the next elections became “obvious” from certain statements, even though the politician in question has never explicitly referred to the electoral process.
The ostensible in sport
Within the sports field, the term we are analyzing is also frequently used. In this way, all kinds of rumors and news arise about the status of the players when they are seen with any obvious symptoms that they are not well.
An example of this occurs when a footballer is observed in training or off the playing field with an obvious limp, with which versions begin to appear in the sports media about a possible injury that would prevent him from playing.