facetious
not meant to be taken seriously or literally: a facetious remark.
amusing; humorous.
lacking serious intent; concerned with something nonessential, amusing, or frivolous: a facetious person.
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Origin of facetious
1synonym study For facetious
usage note For facetious
Other words from facetious
- fa·ce·tious·ly, adverb
- fa·ce·tious·ness, noun
- non·fa·ce·tious, adjective
- non·fa·ce·tious·ly, adverb
- non·fa·ce·tious·ness, noun
- un·fa·ce·tious, adjective
- un·fa·ce·tious·ly, adverb
- un·fa·ce·tious·ness, noun
Words that may be confused with facetious
- facetious , factious, factitious
Words Nearby facetious
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use facetious in a sentence
In 2006, a Fermilab newsletter even recounted an only somewhat facetious report of a “coordinated attack” on the facility by a family of raccoons.
Death ‘by planet’ was surprisingly common in the 1600s | PopSci Staff | November 24, 2021 | Popular-ScienceEven seemingly facetious Laundrie “stans” acknowledge this grim reality.
Incels, Men’s Rights Groups, and Culture-War Trolls Glom Onto Gabby Petito’s Death | Kate Briquelet | September 27, 2021 | The Daily BeastI was full of fentanyl—an opioid stronger than heroin—which seemed to embolden my facetious nature.
For example, Preston likes to avoid sounding angry because she has found a friendly—even facetious—tone can defuse tense situations.
How to break free of the bystander effect and help someone in trouble | Tara Santora | March 2, 2021 | Popular-ScienceThis is not by any means a facetious question: Do you think alcohol should also be made illegal?
In recent weeks, McHale has used The Soup to promote Community—with facetious knowingness, of course.
At the club, they were far too facetious; even Randulf rallied him in a disagreeable manner.
Skipper Worse | Alexander Lange KiellandThe late Bishop used to make a rather facetious remark about this tomb.
You leave me to starve, for all you care; and you grow mighty facetious because I earn my bread.
Memoirs of Mr. Charles J. Yellowplush | William Makepeace ThackerayOne facetious sportsman had once made a rule of setting the senior day-room chimney on fire every term.
The Gold Bat | P. G. WodehouseThe manager was facetious—said he was "too thin for the theatre."
British Dictionary definitions for facetious
/ (fəˈsiːʃəs) /
characterized by levity of attitude and love of joking: a facetious person
jocular or amusing, esp at inappropriate times: facetious remarks
Origin of facetious
1Derived forms of facetious
- facetiously, adverb
- facetiousness, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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