facetious
adjective
Synonyms
- clever
- humorous
- jocular
- smart
- witty
Example Sentences
V. S. Pritchett, "Club and Country," 1949, in A Man of Letters, 1985 Nor was Liebling seriously asserting that his facetious bit of investigation into Tin Pan Alley history constituted a refutation of Sartre's philosophy. Raymond Sokolov, Wayward Reporter, 1980 … old ladies shrivelling to nothing in a forest of flowers and giant facetious get-well cards … John Updike, Trust Me, 1962 the essay is a facetious commentary on the absurdity of war as a solution for international disputes a facetious and tasteless remark about people in famine-stricken countries being spared the problem of overeating John Defore, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Sep. 2022 Pitt: somehow facetious and wise at the same time, relishing the noise, as if daring curious onlookers to figure out the answer themselves. Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 11 Aug. 2022 But the technological command and the cleverness on display in the colossal fight scenes also undercut their dramatic significance, as do the over-the-top theatrics that tip into the facetious. Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 24 Dec. 2021 Now, Courtney, this is a way of asking the question in a facetious manner, but there is a kernel here. Laura Johnston, cleveland, 27 May 2022 Extending their doofus-and-diva act to the classrooms, corridors, and teachers’ lounge transfers their personal careerism into a facetious representation of a major social institution. Armond White, National Review, 13 Apr. 2022 Check out Warrick’s facetious reaction to her aunt’s meet-up with Rihanna below. Glenn Rowley, Billboard, 2 Feb. 2022 But Sorkin ignores that inconvenient truth by giving this dramatic biopic a facetious documentary structure. Armond White, National Review, 18 Feb. 2022 An index should be objective, but some indexers can’t resist expressing subjective judgments, or even mocking a book’s contents with facetious or insulting entries. Washington Post, 18 Feb. 2022 See More Word History
borrowed from Middle French facetieux, facecieux, from facetie "joke, jesting remark" (borrowed from Latin facētia, facētiae "cleverness, wit," in plural sense, "amusing things, jests") + -eux (going back to Latin -ōsus -ous) — more at facetiae
1594, in the meaning defined at sense 2
Kids Definition
facetious
adjective
facetious
adjective
Synonyms & Similar Words
- witty
- humorous
- clever
- funny
- jocular
- joking
- playful
- amusing
- jesting
- comical
- droll
- ridiculous
- smart
- flippant
- comic
- frivolous
- mischievous
- highbrow
- jocose
- bantering
- cerebral
- teasing
- joshing
- ludicrous
- entertaining
- laughing
- hysterical
- farcical
- intellectual
- jovial
- laughable
- prankish
- mirthful
- diverting
- risible
- merry
- jolly
- antic
- riotous
- uproarious
- whimsical
- waggish
- screaming
- rollicking
- sidesplitting
- jocund
- highbrowed
- scintillating
- pert
- flip
- sparkling
- smart-aleck
- sunny
- smart-alecky
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- stupid
- lowbrow
- witless
- corny
- lame
- hackneyed
- brainless
- serious
- humorless
- unamusing
- earnest
- solemn
- unfunny
- hackney
- somber
- sombre
- sober
- grave
- doleful
- plaintive
- lachrymose
- sorry
- uncomic
- dolorous
- tearful
- serious-minded
- woeful
Synonyms & Similar Words
- cute
- flippant
- playful
- wiseass
- inappropriate
- wise
- smart-ass
- smart-assed
- pert
- flip
- smart
- smart-aleck
- mischievous
- smart-alecky
- smarty-pants
- frivolous
- rude
- cheeky
- impudent
- casual
- waggish
- impertinent
- saucy
- cocky
- impish
- glib
- sassy
- roguish
- flighty
- disrespectful
- thoughtless
- fresh
- breezy
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- sincere
- earnest
- serious
- solemn
- sober
- grave
- somber
- sombre
Synonym Chooser
Some common synonyms of facetious are humorous, jocose, jocular, and witty. While all these words mean "provoking or intended to provoke laughter," facetious stresses a desire to produce laughter and may be derogatory in implying dubious or ill-timed attempts at wit or humor.
The words humorous and facetious can be used in similar contexts, but humorous applies broadly to anything that evokes usually genial laughter and may contrast with witty in suggesting whimsicality or eccentricity.
Jocose is somewhat less derogatory than facetious in suggesting habitual waggishness or playfulness.
The synonyms jocular and facetious are sometimes interchangeable, but jocular implies a usually habitual fondness for jesting and joking.
While the synonyms witty and facetious are close in meaning, witty suggests cleverness and quickness of mind.