prima facie

adjective

Definition of prima facienext
1
as in presumed
appearing to be true on the basis of evidence that may or may not be confirmed a prima facie case of tax fraud

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in evident
not needing proof in order to be accepted actions that established a prima facie case of discrimination

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of prima facie While most states follow absolute speeding limits, some have presumed or prima facie speeding limits, according to a database created by Massachusetts Institute of Technology software engineer John Carr. — Ana Faguy, USA TODAY, 14 Apr. 2022 Many unsuccessful Black head coach candidates will probably meet this initial (prima facie) case of discrimination. — Eric Bachman, Forbes, 26 Jan. 2022 Yelp argued that it ought not be required to respond to the subpoena because Mirza failed to establish a prima facie case. — Jack Greiner, The Enquirer, 11 Jan. 2022 None of these scenarios is prima facie impossible, and therefore, once raised, none can be dismissed out of hand. — Lindsay Beyerstein, The New Republic, 10 Dec. 2021 See All Example Sentences for prima facie
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prima facie
  1. presumed
  2. evident
  3. apparent
  4. obvious
  5. possible
  6. axiomatic
  7. supposed
  8. unmistakable
Adjective
  • The presumed reasoning behind why the film was ignored is multilayered.
    — Marcus Jones, IndieWire, 8 Aug. 2025
Definition of presumed
Adjective
  • This model, where companies embed themselves in a city, is also evident in JPMorgan Chase's Detroit efforts, Tulsa's remote worker program, and Cleveland's Evergreen Cooperatives.
    — Tonya M. Evans, Forbes.com, 26 July 2026
  • The real reason is that his report is an unfocused jumble of personal testimony, with no evident attempt to corroborate the lurid and sometimes unbelievable accusations made by anonymous sources.
    — Helen Lewis, The Atlantic, 26 July 2026
Definition of evident
Adjective
  • Several police officers responded and found the suspect holding an apparent firearm.
    — Nollyanne Delacruz, Mercury News, 25 July 2026
  • Elsewhere, manager David Moyes will have been satisfied that right-back Nathan Patterson, who has no apparent future at Everton, got enough minutes in Scotland’s three matches to provide a bargaining lever with any clubs interested in him.
    — Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 24 July 2026
Definition of apparent
Adjective
  • In unionized environments with collective agreements, policy and law require a job posting even when the hire is obvious.
    — Jason Walker PsyD, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026
  • Running was the most obvious trigger, but long walks, certain pilates classes, tight workout clothes, bathing suits, anything that involved movement or compression made the discomfort worse.
    — Anonymous, Allure, 23 July 2026
Definition of obvious
Adjective
  • High school athletes have four years to put themselves in the best possible position to be noticed by college recruiters, and playing time is hard to come by for most underclassmen.
    — Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 July 2026
  • Our priority is to help as many team members as possible transition into opportunities within our other Sushi Confidential locations.
    — Linda Zavoral, Mercury News, 28 July 2026
Definition of possible
Adjective
  • Statements tend to be axiomatic rather than descriptive of particular individuals.
    — Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 10 June 2026
  • Just a few years after the arrival of ZF, Kurt Gödel showed that no axiomatic system capable of basic arithmetic can be used to prove its own consistency.
    — Quanta Magazine, Quanta Magazine, 29 Apr. 2026
Definition of axiomatic
Adjective
  • But clearly any supposed rivalry between the legendary bands is water under the bridge.
    — Peter Gicas, Entertainment Weekly, 14 July 2026
Definition of supposed
Adjective
  • In Kurzweil’s version, the singularity involves an unmistakable break in which machine intelligence overtakes humanity and technological progress becomes impossible to predict.
    — Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 27 July 2026
  • Brabus has spent almost five decades applying its unmistakable design language to some of the world’s most powerful machines.
    — Rachel Ingram, Robb Report, 26 July 2026
Definition of unmistakable

Browse Nearby Words

prima donnas
prima facie
primal
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Prima facie.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prima%20facie. Accessed 31 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of comely

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

Your vs. You're: How to Use Them Correctly
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

The Words of the Week - Jul. 31

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
asap street sign
Figure Out These Acronyms ASAP You don't have to be a NASA engineer to get these...
See All