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- take at face value
take at face value
take someone or something at face value
to accept someone or something just as it appears; to believe that the way things appear is the way they really are. He means what he says. You have to take him at face value. I take everything he says at face value.
take something at face value
to accept something exactly the way it appears to be. I don't know whether I can take her story at face value, but I will assume that she is not lying. The committee took the report at face value and approved the suggested changes.
take something at face value
to accept that something is exactly what it appears to be This is good research that can be taken at face value by readers. You have to understand that you cannot take gossip at its face value.
Etymology: based on the idea that the value (worth) of a piece of money is exactly the amount shown by a number on its face (front)
take something at face value
to accept something because of the way it first looks or seems, without thinking about what else it could mean
Usage notes: The face value of a note or a coin is the number written on it.
(often negative)
These results should not be taken at face value - careful analysis is required to assess their full implications.