on the face of it
idiom
: from only what is known at first
On the face of it, her proposal seems ridiculous—maybe it will sound better when we learn more about it.
Examples of on the face of it in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Much of the report focuses on full-year comparisons between 2022 and 2023 and, on the face of it, investment is still flowing in, despite a difficult economic backdrop.
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Trevor Clawson, Forbes, 29 Nov. 2024
The Chelsea players’ shirts are hanging up with the names and numbers showing but those jerseys are not allowed to be in shot even if turned around to hide that information, which makes little sense on the face of it.
—Stuart James, The Athletic, 21 Aug. 2024
This is a group of eight different search terms that appear below the initial results on the search page, and, on the face of it, appear to be linked to the search term just used.
—David Gilbert, WIRED, 16 July 2024
The images are rendered in muted tones of gray and brown, with touches of blue and rose, which paradoxically lightens the mood — the homage to old movies is both a distancing device and fun on the face of it.
—Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 31 July 2024
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Trevor Clawson, Forbes, 29 Nov. 2024
The Chelsea players’ shirts are hanging up with the names and numbers showing but those jerseys are not allowed to be in shot even if turned around to hide that information, which makes little sense on the face of it.
—Stuart James, The Athletic, 21 Aug. 2024
This is a group of eight different search terms that appear below the initial results on the search page, and, on the face of it, appear to be linked to the search term just used.
—David Gilbert, WIRED, 16 July 2024
The images are rendered in muted tones of gray and brown, with touches of blue and rose, which paradoxically lightens the mood — the homage to old movies is both a distancing device and fun on the face of it.
—Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 31 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for on the face of it
Dictionary Entries Near on the face of it
Cite this Entry
“On the face of it.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/on%20the%20face%20of%20it. Accessed 31 Dec. 2024.
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