facetious

adjective

fə-ˈsē-shəs How to pronounce facetious (audio)
Definition of facetiousnext
1
as in witty
given to or marked by mature intelligent humor the essay is a facetious commentary on the absurdity of war as a solution for international disputes

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in cute
making light of something usually regarded as serious or sacred a facetious and tasteless remark about people in famine-stricken countries being spared the problem of overeating

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word facetious distinct from other similar adjectives?

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.

facetious comments

When is humorous a more appropriate choice than facetious?

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.

humorous anecdotes

How are the words jocose and facetious related?

Jocose is somewhat less derogatory than facetious in suggesting habitual waggishness or playfulness.

jocose proposals

When can jocular be used instead of facetious?

The synonyms jocular and facetious are sometimes interchangeable, but jocular implies a usually habitual fondness for jesting and joking.

a jocular fellow

When could witty be used to replace facetious?

While the synonyms witty and facetious are close in meaning, witty suggests cleverness and quickness of mind.

a witty remark

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of facetious His posture is authoritative without being imposing, his voice warm without being facetious. — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 5 Dec. 2025 Powell was, of course, being facetious, as the low-quality videos featured the actor as a teen running and jumping in the street and lip-syncing to the song while wearing a yacht captain’s hat. — Rachel Desantis, PEOPLE, 17 Nov. 2025 To be facetious, how many of those people who committed mass murder in the fifth largest city in America went to death row? — Dave Zirin, Rolling Stone, 17 June 2025 His Ukraine rock show is as facetious as Bono’s visits to Zelenskyy, those grip-and-grin photo ops done in the middle of what the media tells us is a war. — Armond White, National Review, 17 May 2024 See All Example Sentences for facetious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for facetious
  1. witty
  2. cute
  3. humorous
  4. flippant
  5. clever
  6. playful
Adjective
  • From song to screen With her southern twang, witty charm and stunning looks, Parton was a natural in front of the camera.
    — CNN Money, CNN Money, 26 Aug. 2026
  • MacDonald and editor Phil Hignett have a keen, witty sense of how the online realm crashes offline living, seamlessly integrating deadly-accurate TikTok parodies into the film’s breezy narrative flow.
    — Guy Lodge, Variety, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of witty
Adjective
  • But don’t let the cute style fool you—this look is super practical, too.
    — Kayla Becker, Travel + Leisure, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Continue down Main Street in Catskill to find tons of the cute shops upstate New York is known for, in particular Stay Forever for gifts, Spike’s for records, and Magpie for used books.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of cute
Adjective
  • Their escapade leads not only to the creation of their island paradise, Moonrise Kingdom, but a humorous wild goose chase between Suzy’s parents, Sam’s Scout troop, and the island police chief.
    — Kara Nesvig, Parents, 29 Aug. 2026
  • When asked whether his dog has a favorite Bush song, Rossdale laughs before providing a humorous answer.
    — Alicia Urrea, Billboard, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of humorous
Adjective
  • Kyles suggested, recalling her immediate response to the president’s seemingly flippant remark.
    — Chris Quintana, USA Today, 22 Aug. 2026
  • Deadpool is proving to be surprisingly magnanimous as the flippant character loses a box office record to The Odyssey.
    — Ryan Gajewski, HollywoodReporter, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of flippant
Adjective
  • The midfielder is a clever front-foot defender, capable of an early tackle or interception to halt opposition momentum.
    — Carl Anka, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Allowing commercial director Joe Pytka to continue that work in a feature film that saw Jordan playing basketball alongside the Looney Tunes characters was a clever extension of the campaign.
    — Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of clever
Adjective
  • For good measure, Pabst’s social media updates took a tongue-in-cheek approach that may have actually convinced people the posts were more playful than actual pleas for help.
    — Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 30 Aug. 2026
  • The world went in, and pliant, playful interpretations flowed out.
    — Laura Preston, New Yorker, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of playful

Browse Nearby Words

facet
facetious
facetiousness
See all Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

“Facetious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/facetious. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All