faceted

[ fas-i-tid ]

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.

verb

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

Other Words From

• un·fac·et·ed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of faceted¹

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

Example Sentences

They emphasized that their answers don’t conflict so much as capture different facets of the truth.

From Quanta Magazine

There is no bigger or more important star, no young sports leader handling every facet of this traumatic year better than the Clemson quarterback.

From Washington Post

WHOOP uniquely blends hardware, software, and industry-leading accurate measurements to help people sharpen the edges of fitness and performance, create impactful behavior change, and empower them to optimize all facets of life.

From Outside Online

“They make it hard,” Parr added, explaining that most facets of the ad-buying process on Substack is laborious.

From Digiday

While we wanted to focus primarily on alerts for this article, it’s important to remember that any facet of the tools you use must work seamlessly with the bigger picture.

From Search Engine Land

A multi-faceted approach to ensuring students reach the critical milestone of grade level reading by fourth grade.

From The Daily Beast

They are complex, multi-faceted creatures, who are generally trying to do the best they can with what they have, where they are.

From The Daily Beast

Granted, this is a delicate task, calling for a thoughtful, multi-faceted approach.

From The Daily Beast

PERFORMA—the nearly month-long biennial celebrating the multi-faceted realm of performance art—is back for its fifth installment.

From The Daily Beast

Lobbying is a multi-faceted activity, which takes place both publicly and privately.

From The Daily Beast

These bits are commonly distinctly faceted; they rarely have a spherical form.

From Project Gutenberg

They were cool and clear and joyous as the mountain torrent: for them life was a crystal of laughter, many-faceted to adventure.

From Project Gutenberg

The young woman was staring into the pan of water, into the faceted glass.

From Project Gutenberg

She was looking up from the faceted glass now, shaking her head sadly.

From Project Gutenberg

The center was a pale yellow, highly-faceted stone which represented the sun.

From Project Gutenberg