facetious
Americanadjective
-
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.
adjective
-
characterized by levity of attitude and love of joking
a facetious person
-
jocular or amusing, esp at inappropriate times
facetious remarks
Usage
A term labeled Facetious in this dictionary is one that is used consciously for humorous or playful effect.
Synonym Usage
See humorous 1.
Other Word Forms
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:
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.
Vocabulary lists containing facetious
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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.
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
“I’m grateful that there is still room in the world for something facetious to occur now and then.”
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 24, 2023
I don't know whether he was just trying to be facetious or if he actually worried that I walked around campus acting like a raving lunatic.
From "Americanized" by Sara Saedi
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.
