first blush
IdiomsExample Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
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
At first blush, his lifetime Wins Above Replacement of 0.3 would indicate that he’s little better than the fictional minor league “replacement player” to which MLB players are compared in calculating the statistic.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 3, 2026
That might seem like a bold claim at first blush.
From Salon ● May 25, 2026
"At first blush, this case may not seem momentous," said Koh from the trade union confederation.
From Barron's ● May 21, 2026
Superstar lawyers and math whizzes and software entrepreneurs appear at first blush to lie outside ordinary experience.
From "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell
![]()
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.