prima facie

comparative more prima facie · superlative most prima facie

1. lawAt first sight; on the face of it.

   Prima facie this may not read like a true story.

   1916 April 8, The National Provisioner, volume 54, number 15, page 36, column 2

   1 more example

   […] the nicest young man that ever was, — daintily gloved, patently booted, oilily curled, snowily wristbanded, with a lovely cambric (prima facie) handkerchief bound about his hyacinthine locks and polished hat.

   1871, Gail Hamilton, Gala-days, page 191

   Synonyms: apparently, seemingly, apparently, at first blush, at first glance, at first sight, on the face of it, on the surface

1. not comparablelawApparently correct; not needing proof unless evidence to the contrary is shown.

   We conclude that the single photon is somehow interacting with itself. And now we have prima facie evidence of the superposition of quantum particles, that they can exist in more than one place at the same time.

   2020, Alex Garland, 17:59 from the start, in Devs, season 1, episode 5, spoken by Lecturer (Liz Carr)

   Synonyms: immediate, indubitable, self-evident, apparent, arrant, undoubted, glaring, bait