facetious

[ fuh-see-shuhs ]

/ fəˈsi ʃəs /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: facetious / facetiously / facetiousness on Thesaurus.com

adjective

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.

QUIZ

ARE YOU A TRUE BLUE CHAMPION OF THESE "BLUE" SYNONYMS?

We could talk until we're blue in the face about this quiz on words for the color "blue," but we think you should take the quiz and find out if you're a whiz at these colorful terms.

Question 1 of 8

Which of the following words describes “sky blue”?

navy

beryl

azure

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Meet Grammar Coach

Write or paste your essay, email, or story into Grammar Coach and get grammar help

Improve Your Writing

Meet Grammar CoachImprove Your Writing

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

synonym study for facetious

2. See humorous¹.

usage note for facetious

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

OTHER WORDS FROM facetious

fa·ce·tious·ly, adverbfa·ce·tious·ness, nounnon·fa·ce·tious, adjectivenon·fa·ce·tious·ly, adverb

non·fa·ce·tious·ness, nounun·fa·ce·tious, adjectiveun·fa·ce·tious·ly, adverbun·fa·ce·tious·ness, noun

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH facetious

facetious , factious, factitious

How to use facetious in a sentence

My own half-facetious daydream is to put Walmart—which has 150 million people passing through its doors each week and operates more than 5,000 pharmacies, many in underserved areas—in charge of vaccine distribution.
Albertsons CEO Vivek Sankaran Says His Stores Can Vaccinate More Americans. He Just Needs the Doses|Eben Shapiro|January 31, 2021|Time
The pair are of course being somewhat facetious in tracing the end of growth to a particular day.
Capitalism is in crisis. To save it, we need to rethink economic growth.|Katie McLean|October 14, 2020|MIT Technology Review
And despite the situation not being funny at all, the Onion facetiously offered Incognito a five-year, $50 million contract.
First Mega-Deal Is Done as the NFL’s Free Agent Scrap Begins|Ben Teitelbaum|March 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Facetiously, Norquist adds, “That would raise revenue if we could get more of those 12-year-olds paying cigarette taxes.”
Grover Norquist Sees the Fiscal Cliff and Guns It|Lloyd Grove|November 17, 2012|DAILY BEAST

I asked, facetiously, but I didn't feel in the least humorous.
Jane Journeys On|Ruth Comfort Mitchell
Our military cook would often facetiously refer to "platoon-firing in the starboard oven."
The Home of the Blizzard|Douglas Mawson
The young engineer must pick his boss as our young men are facetiously advised to pick their parents.
Opportunities in Engineering|Charles M. Horton
The guard stopped, presented arms to this small, peremptory terrier, and inquired facetiously if he had a pass.
Greyfriars Bobby|Eleanor Atkinson
Footnote 43: Flogging was facetiously termed "putting on a new shirt."
The Military Journals of Two Private Soldiers, 1758-1775|Abraham Tomlinson

British Dictionary definitions for facetious

facetious

/ (fəˈsiːʃəs) /

adjective

characterized by levity of attitude and love of jokinga facetious person

jocular or amusing, esp at inappropriate timesfacetious remarks

Derived forms of facetious

facetiously, adverbfacetiousness, noun

Word Origin for facetious

C16: from Old French facetieux, from facetie witty saying; see facetiae

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

facetious

Origin of facetious

synonym study for facetious

usage note for facetious

OTHER WORDS FROM facetious

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH facetious

Words related to facetious

How to use facetious in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for facetious

Derived forms of facetious

Word Origin for facetious