facile

American  

[fas-il, -ahyl] / ˈfæs ɪl, -aɪl /

adjective

1. moving, acting, working, proceeding, etc., with ease, sometimes with superficiality.

   facile fingers; a facile mind.

   Synonyms:

   glib, fluent, flowing, smooth

2. easily done, performed, used, etc..

   a facile victory; a facile method.

   Synonyms:

   superficial

3. easy or unconstrained, as manners or persons.

   Synonyms:

   urbane, suave, bland

4. affable, agreeable, or complaisant; easily influenced.

   a facile temperament; facile people.

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facile British  

/ ˈfæsaɪl /

adjective

1. easy to perform or achieve

2. working or moving easily or smoothly

3. without depth; superficial

   a facile solution

4. archaic relaxed in manner; easygoing

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Other Word Forms

• facilely adverb
• facileness noun
• overfacile adjective
• overfacilely adverb
• unfacile adjective
• unfacilely adverb

Etymology

Origin of facile

1475–85; < Latin facilis that can be done, easy, equivalent to fac ( ere ) to do, make + -ilis -ile

Example Sentences

That this is all unfolding at a convent is an obvious irony, though as handled here it isn’t a cheap or facile one.

From The Wall Street Journal

What gets lost in facile critiques of gentrification, however, is its generative power.

From The Wall Street Journal

Neither do facile excuses like “economic anxiety” cut it.

From Salon

We can easily imagine the real Scorsese has had to face similar ordeals with facile Hollywood suits.

From Los Angeles Times

While well-intended and admiring, the biography often proves facile, showing difficulty reckoning with Demme’s oeuvre and its deeper political and cinematic lessons.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• effortless
• glib
• hasty