faceted

American  

[fas-i-tid] / ˈfæs ɪ tɪd /

Sometimes facetted

adjective

1. having facets, or small, polished, flat surfaces, cut on it.

   Each faceted wine glass is carved carefully from pure lead-free crystal.

   A rough diamond is significantly less expensive than a faceted diamond gemstone.

2. (of rock) having a smooth surface cut by water, blowing sand, etc..

   These faceted rock fragments have been scratched and planed by rubbing against each other as they were carried along by a glacier.

3. having a number of distinct aspects or phases (used in combination).

   This oversimplification of the issue obscures what is actually a many-faceted problem.

   Here we have a dual-faceted challenge—identifying the equipment needed, and covering its cost.

4. Computers. relating to or being a search whose results are narrowed down by selecting various filters or criteria.

   Using the faceted search on this site you could, for example, try to find a book on snails for children aged six to nine, published after 2016, that costs less than $30.

5. Architecture, Furniture. (of a column) shaped like a polygon with faces cut on it.

   When remodeling my basement I replaced a plain post in the middle with a faceted column to give the room more character.

   The ad shows a large antique brass lamp with a faceted column terminating in a circular base.

6. Zoology. having more than one corneal lens, as the compound eye of an arthropod.

   Under her microscope, the gall wasp’s faceted eyes glowed in a spectrum of colors.

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verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of facet.

Other Word Forms

• unfaceted adjective

Etymology

Origin of faceted

First recorded in 1765–75; facet ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. ) faceted for defs. 1, 2, 5; facet ( def. ) + -ed ³ ( def. ) faceted for defs. 3, 4, 6; facet ( def. ) + -ed ¹ ( def. ) faceted for def. 7

Explanation

Things that are faceted have many different sides or faces. The sparkling ruby in your grandmother's necklace is faceted. The adjective faceted is most often used to describe a gem or semi-precious stone that's been cut and polished. A diamond ring gleams and sparkles in part because it's faceted, giving it many small surfaces off of which light can reflect. Things that are figuratively faceted have a lot of different features or attributes: "It's impossible to see how faceted someone is when you first meet them." Faceted comes from the French facette, "little face."

Example Sentences

Alongside his own survey of Mont Blanc published in a monumental chromolithograph is his modest diagram of its underlying crystalline structure, as if it were a faceted gem.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 18, 2026

The main stage also has a thick concrete ceiling, and its subtly faceted acoustic wall panels, embedded with micro-perforations, double as sound absorbers and diffusers, subtly tuning the space.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 2, 2025

In a moment of great danger, “the bergs are many, lavender and faceted, when the air is full of floating ice crystals.”

From Scientific American • Aug. 20, 2023

The video is one of 40 works that make up “Water Memories,” a poetically faceted pocket-size show about the material and symbolic role of water in Native American life.

From New York Times • Jul. 3, 2022

The septon removed a faceted crystal sphere from the soft cloth bag at his waist.

From "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin