facetious
/fəˈsiːʃəs
/adjective
Treating serious issues with deliberately inappropriate humour; flippant: a facetious remark...
- You learn very soon never to tell a joke or make a facetious remark.
- Forgive me for being facetious in these desperately serious times, but sometimes ridicule is the only release from anger.
- I hope this approach doesn't come across as facetious or flippant, I'm genuinely interested
Synonyms
flippant, flip, glib, frivolous, tongue-in-cheek, waggish, whimsical, joking, jokey, jesting, jocular, playful, roguish, impish, teasing, arch, mischievous, puckish;
in fun, in jest, witty, amusing, funny, droll, comic, comical, chucklesome, light-hearted, high-spirited, bantering
archaic frolicsome, sportive
rare jocose
Derivatives
facetiously
/ adverb ...- I facetiously call it the bitter season, and there have been times when it's been hard.
- I am not asking this facetiously, I am genuinely puzzled as to why you decided to include this column over others in what I heard was a pretty heated competition last term.
- This is a point I've made facetiously for some time now.
facetiousness
/ noun ...- Eclectic learning, pungent black humour sometimes degenerating into facetiousness, a stately but singular style, distinguish all his writing.
- Though occasionally the humour degenerates into facetiousness, the verbal dexterity of the verse is superb.
- This self-deprecating facetiousness characterizes much of Maddin's verbal patter and not only is it a testament to his prodigious wit, but it also demonstrates why he gets away with the things he does.
Origin
Late 16th century (in the general sense 'witty, amusing'): from French facétieux, from facétie, from Latin facetia 'jest', from facetus 'witty'.
This comes via French from Latin facetia ‘jest’, from facetus ‘witty’.
Rhymes
- overvault
- overvaulting
- over-veil
- overventilate
- overventilation
- overview
- overviewer
- over-violent
- overvoltage
- overvote
- overvoting
- overvulcanise
- over-vulcanization
- over-vulcanize
- overvulcanize
- over-warm
- have (or add) another string to one's bow
- have (or be on) a short fuse
- have (or eat) someone for breakfast
- have (or gain) the upper hand
- have (or get) a foot in the door
- have (or get) a leg-up on
- have (or get) itchy feet
- have (or get)one's snout (or nose) in the trough
- have (or get) one's snout (or nose) in the trough