facile

[ fas-ilor, especially British, -ahyl ]

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.

facile

/ 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

Derived Forms

• ˈfacileness, noun
• ˈfacilely, adverb

Other Words From

• facile·ly adverb
• facile·ness noun
• over·facile adjective
• over·facile·ly adverb
• un·facile adjective
• un·facile·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of facile¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of facile¹

C15: from Latin facilis easy, from facere to do

Example Sentences

The facile conclusion to draw from all this is that teenagers shouldn’t be allowed anywhere near cars.

From Outside Online

Elections experts say such patterns can be easily explained, but Byrne called such dismissals “facile bromides” that are not reassuring to him or millions of other Americans.

From Washington Post

If most of the McCarthy comparisons have been favorable, all of them have been facile.

From The Daily Beast

I am picking them at random here, because evil is so damn facile.

From The Daily Beast

Real-world profilers have to be careful, and are, not to indulge in facile ethnic, racial or religious “profiling.”

From The Daily Beast

Then I picked up a book that shredded my facile preconceptions—Hard Stuff: The Autobiography of Mayor Coleman Young.

From The Daily Beast

But we should beware of the facile tradition of criticizing colleges, professors, and the young (or just mocking them).

From The Daily Beast

But he was a man of marked executive ability, and when occasion demanded he wielded a facile and ready pen.

From Project Gutenberg

But the notion may very well be of older date than this period of facile illustration.

From Project Gutenberg

For the second time I felt my facile invention sitting somewhat less easily on me.

From Project Gutenberg

Indeed, Chopin even found fault with the master where he is universally regarded as facile princeps.

From Project Gutenberg

Wherever you go you will hear, in tram or car, the facile gossip of literature.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• effortless
• glib
• hasty