Dictionary
Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.
on the surface en · ADP
Meanings
-
apparently, outwardly; superficially
On the surface, the film is a globe-trotting gross-out caper in which Nobby, who's from a hellish version of the titular Lincolnshire town ("twinned with Chernobyl"), is reunited with his long-lost brother Sebastian (Mark Strong), who has become a spy for the British secret services.
2016 February 23, Robbie Collin, “Grimsby review: ' Sacha Baron Cohen's vital, venomous action movie'”, in The Daily Telegraph (London):
Synonyms
on the face of it · at first glance · at first sight