facial
Americanadjective
-
of the face.
facial expression.
-
for the face.
a facial cream.
noun
adjective
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of facial
1600–10; 1910–15 facial for def. 3; < Medieval Latin faciālis. See face, -al 1
Explanation
When you describe something as facial, it has to do with the face. Your facial expression is the smile — or frown — that you happen to be wearing on your face. Your facial features are made up of your eyes, nose, mouth, cheeks — everything that together comprises your whole face. When you use the word facial as a noun, it means a spa treatment that usually includes a deep cleaning and moisturizing of the face. You might decide to get a massage and a facial at the fancy resort hotel where you're spending a relaxing week. The Medieval Latin root is facialis, "of the face," from facies, "figure, appearance, or countenance."
Vocabulary lists containing facial
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.
MSG's owners have courted controversy by aggressively using facial recognition technology to detect and exclude not only lawyers who have sued the company -- but all of their colleagues too.
From Barron's • Jul. 1, 2026
The cameras don’t use facial recognition, the company says, and photos are stored in a cloud-based system.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 26, 2026
Earlier research has linked depression to greater attention toward sad facial expressions.
From Science Daily • Jun. 17, 2026
Parents should quickly seek medical care for an infant who has difficulty swallowing, poor feeding, loss of head control or decreased facial expression, the CDC said.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 14, 2026
Håkon glared at her, exasperated, and Anya was struck by how he and Vasilisa even had the same facial expressions.
From Anya and the Nightingale by Sofiya Pasternack
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.
