facetious

American  

[fuh-see-shuhs] / fəˈsi ʃəs /

adjective

1. not meant to be taken seriously or literally.

   a facetious remark.

2. amusing; humorous.

3. lacking serious intent; concerned with something nonessential, amusing, or frivolous.

   a facetious person.

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facetious British  

/ fəˈsiːʃəs /

adjective

1. characterized by levity of attitude and love of joking

   a facetious person

2. jocular or amusing, esp at inappropriate times

   facetious remarks

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Usage

A term labeled Facetious in this dictionary is one that is used consciously for humorous or playful effect.

Related Words

See humorous ¹.

Other Word Forms

• facetiously adverb
• facetiousness noun
• nonfacetious adjective
• nonfacetiously adverb
• nonfacetiousness noun
• unfacetious adjective
• unfacetiously adverb
• unfacetiousness noun

Etymology

Origin of facetious

First recorded in 1585–95; from Middle French facecieux, facetieux, from facetie “a jest,” from Latin facētia “a jest, witticism” ( see facetiae) + -ious

Compare meaning

How does facetious compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• facetious vs. sarcastic

Explanation

Don’t take a facetious comment seriously because it’s supposed to be funny. Anything facetious is a joke. If you've just won a hotdog-eating contest and someone asks if you'd like to go out for burgers, they’re probably being facetious. If you forget how to spell facetious, notice that it has all five vowels in a row. The word facetious comes from the French facétie, “joke,” and it has come to describe a joke with a little drop of sarcasm. It used to simply mean “funny and witty,” but now it often implies that someone is being inappropriately funny about a serious topic.

Example Sentences

Though many of those “Chuck Norris Facts” were facetious and mocking, there were just as many that served as unironic celebrations of the man.

From Slate • Mar. 20, 2026

With such a heavy subject matter, Clunes says he deals with it by being a "little facetious", despite taking his work seriously.

From BBC • Mar. 17, 2026

Beginning with 1972’s “The Phlorescent Leech & Eddie,” Flo & Eddie released a series of increasingly facetious albums throughout the 1970s, but they had greater success singing harmonies for T. Rex and Cooper.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 5, 2025

It’s impossible to write those words without sounding facetious, but, reader: This time they fit.

From Salon • Nov. 26, 2023

He put his hands on my shoulders, and said, in tones facetious, “See, Prince O., we’re alike in more than just our skin.”

From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party" by M.T. Anderson