at first blush

Idioms  

1. Also,. When first seen. For example, At first blush we thought it was an elegant restaurant, but it soon became obvious that it was hardly the place for a special dinner, or At first glance the contract looked just fine. All three phrases date from the 1300s. The noun blush is used with the obsolete meaning “glimpse” or “momentary view” and in this idiom has nothing to do with showing embarrassment. Also see love at first sight.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

at first blush

Thomas’ dissent is, in many respects, more emotionally complex than either his admirers or his critics, like me, were at first blush ready to admit.

From Slate ● Jul. 2, 2026

That might seem like a bold claim at first blush.

From Salon ● May 25, 2026

I think I didn’t even quite understand what I was reading — I’m sure at first blush I thought it was romantic and wild, just like my all-consuming teenage crushes at the time.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 10, 2026

Memories get classified in ways that seem at first blush straightforward.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2025

Superstar lawyers and math whizzes and software entrepreneurs appear at first blush to lie outside ordinary experience.

From "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell

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Related Words

• evidently
• officially
• seemingly
• supposedly

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