FACETIOUS Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com (original) (raw)

[f_uh_-see-sh_uh_s] / fəˈsi ʃəs /

adjective

1. not meant to be taken seriously or literally.

   a facetious remark.

2. amusing; humorous.
3. lacking serious intent; concerned with something nonessential, amusing, or frivolous.

   a facetious person.

facetious British

/ fəˈsiːʃəs /

adjective

1. characterized by levity of attitude and love of joking

   a facetious person

2. jocular or amusing, esp at inappropriate times

   facetious remarks

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Usage

A term labeled Facetious in this dictionary is one that is used consciously for humorous or playful effect.

Related Words

See humorous 1.

Other Word Forms

• facetiously adverb
• facetiousness noun
• nonfacetious adjective
• nonfacetiously adverb
• nonfacetiousness noun
• unfacetious adjective
• unfacetiously adverb
• unfacetiousness noun

Etymology

Origin of facetious

First recorded in 1585–95; from Middle French facecieux, facetieux, from facetie “a jest,” from Latin facētia “a jest, witticism” ( facetiae ) + -ious

Compare meaning

How does facetious compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• facetious vs. sarcastic

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.

Though many of those “Chuck Norris Facts” were facetious and mocking, there were just as many that served as unironic celebrations of the man.

FromSlate • Mar. 20, 2026

With such a heavy subject matter, Clunes says he deals with it by being a "little facetious", despite taking his work seriously.

FromBBC • Mar. 17, 2026

Claire, I know this sounds like I’m being facetious, but I do feel like it’s a detail that says a lot about Aggie and her headspace at the time.

FromLos Angeles Times • Nov. 13, 2025

Bong walks a delicate line between being facetious and pulling his punches, and the script does sometimes fall to the latter side with some of its more trite resistance messaging.

FromSalon • Mar. 7, 2025

He put his hands on my shoulders, and said, in tones facetious, “See, Prince O., we’re alike in more than just our skin.”

From"The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party" by M.T. Anderson

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.