From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishon the face of iton the face of itSEEMused to say that something seems true but that you think there may be other facts about it which are not yet clear It looks, on the face of it, like a minor change in the regulations. On the face of it, his suggestion makes sense. → face
Examples from the Corpus
on the face of it• On the face of it, he appeared to be an ideal candidate for the position.• On the face of it, this seems like a perfectly good idea -- we must wait and see if it turns out well.• All three candidates were acceptable on the face of it.• This seems a contradiction on the face of it.• Innocuous enough on the face of it.• It is, on the face of it, a very considerable offer.• It looks, on the face of it, like a pretty minor change in the regulations.• They were not, on the face of it, a likely match.• A contractual obligation, such as an exchange rule gives rise on the face of it to strict liability.• As I say, on the face of it obvious. 