facade
Americannoun
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Architecture.
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the front of a building, especially an imposing or decorative one.
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any side of a building facing a public way or space and finished accordingly.
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a superficial appearance or illusion of something.
They managed somehow to maintain a facade of wealth.
noun
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the face of a building, esp the main front
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a front or outer appearance, esp a deceptive one
Usage
What does facade mean? A facade is the front of a building or a side that faces a public area.Facade is used literally to describe a decorative, showy, or onrate piece of architecture that frames the front of a building, as in The architect who designed this building used a showy facade on it to help it stand out from nearby buildings.A facade is also a superficial appearance or an illusion, which can be literal or figurative. If a movie star wears a dark hoodie and sunglasses so they won’t be recognized by the press, they are wearing a literal facade. If that movie star acts completely different from who they actually are or puts on an alternate personality in order to trick or convince people of something, that is a figurative facade.Example: He continually lied to keep up his facade until the whole thing stumbled out of control.
Etymology
Origin of facade
First recorded in 1650–60; from French, from Upper Italian faciada, Italian facciata, equivalent to facci(a) face + -ata -ade 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The 17th Century Baroque Charlottenburg Palace is illuminated in different colours, with falling snowflakes projected onto its facade and wooden stalls in front.
From BBC
Standing out in the business district towering over Bryan's shack is a grandiose, oval-shaped tower called The Marc, its black-and-gold facade reflecting the sunlight.
From Barron's
"We're developing autonomous vehicles, drones for the safe washing of high-rise facades and robots that support health care services," she said.
From Barron's
Crump is responsible, for instance, for the whimsical facade of It’s a Small World.
From Los Angeles Times
The paint color on one restaurant facade was too muted.
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.
