ENGLISH
REFERENCE

in the face of sth

prep. phr..
C1 Advanced Oxford

prep. phr.. to deal with a difficult or dangerous situation that is happening right in front of you.

prep. phr.. a prepositional idiom used to describe a situation where an action or quality persists despite being confronted by significant opposition, danger, or difficulty.


SIMPLE

She stayed calm in the face of danger.

CONTEXTUAL

The company decided to expand its operations even in the face of a global economic recession.

COMPLEX

The activists demonstrated remarkable resilience in the face of systemic injustice and repeated threats from the local authorities.

Usage

usually followed by an abstract noun representing a challenge, such as 'adversity', 'danger', 'criticism', or 'opposition'.

Teaching tip

this phrase is highly effective for formal writing and journalism; it emphasizes the contrast between a person's reaction and the severity of the obstacle they are meeting.

Pitfall

in face of the problemin the face of the problemthe definite article 'the' is a mandatory part of this fixed prepositional phrase.

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