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
These are not, on the face of it, encouraging numbers.
—
Jack Lang, New York Times, 14 Dec. 2025
That's dovish on the face of it and positive for equities.
—Sarah Min, CNBC, 10 Dec. 2025
That is very hard to marry though with everything known about Harry, who appears on the face of it to be enjoying life in America even if the current president is not exactly his cup of tea.
—Jack Royston, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Dec. 2025
Ridiculous on the face of it, preposterous even — yet somehow also kind of plausible.
—Nikki Sternberg, HollywoodReporter, 20 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for on the face of it
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Jack Lang, New York Times, 14 Dec. 2025
That's dovish on the face of it and positive for equities.
—Sarah Min, CNBC, 10 Dec. 2025
That is very hard to marry though with everything known about Harry, who appears on the face of it to be enjoying life in America even if the current president is not exactly his cup of tea.
—Jack Royston, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Dec. 2025
Ridiculous on the face of it, preposterous even — yet somehow also kind of plausible.
—Nikki Sternberg, HollywoodReporter, 20 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for 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 19 Dec. 2025.
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