Standard Lemma guide

facetious

adj · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /fəˈsiːʃəs/
  • Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • /fəˈsiːʃɪs/ weak vowel merger
  • rhymes with -iːʃəs
  • CMU ARPABET: F AH0 S IY1 SH AH0 S Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Treating serious issues with (often deliberately) inappropriate humour; flippant.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • Robbie's joke about Heather's appearance was just him being facetious.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Pleasantly humorous; jocular.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adj

Meaning 3

humorously silly or counterproductive for the purpose of sarcastically advocating the opposite.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Qualifier: Of an idea or statement

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

adjective satellite

Meaning 4

cleverly amusing in tone

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a bantering tone
  • facetious remarks
  • tongue-in-cheek advice

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: bantering, tongue-in-cheek

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From French facétieux, from Latin facētia (“jest, wit, humor”), from facētus (“witty, jocose, facetious”).

Across languages

Translations

56 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: سَاخِر (sāḵir) — flippant
  • Bulgarian: шеговит (šegovit) — flippant
  • Bulgarian: закачлив (zakačliv) — flippant
  • Dutch: al te lollig — flippant
  • Dutch: misplaatst grappig — flippant
  • Finnish: epäasiallinen — flippant
  • Finnish: näsäviisas — flippant
  • French: facétieux — flippant
  • German: flapsig — flippant
  • German: mit unangemessenem Humor — flippant
  • German: unpassende Scherze machend — flippant
  • Icelandic: spaugsamur — flippant
  • Icelandic: gamansamur — flippant
  • Italian: faceto — flippant
  • Macedonian: несерио́зен (neseriózen) — flippant
  • Macedonian: леко́мислен (lekómislen) — flippant
  • Macedonian: за́качлив (zákačliv) — flippant
  • Portuguese: debochado — flippant
  • Russian: несерьёзный (neserʹjóznyj) — flippant
  • Spanish: fisgón — flippant
  • Spanish: socarrón — flippant
  • Spanish: faceto — flippant
  • Swedish: lättvindig — flippant
  • Welsh: ysmala — flippant
  • Welsh: gwamal — flippant
  • Arabic: طَرِيف (ṭarīf) — pleasantly humorous, jocular
  • Bulgarian: забавен (zabaven) — pleasantly humorous, jocular
  • Dutch: grappig — pleasantly humorous, jocular
  • Finnish: hyväntuulinen — pleasantly humorous, jocular
  • Finnish: leikillinen — pleasantly humorous, jocular
  • French: facétieux — pleasantly humorous, jocular
  • Galician: gracioso — pleasantly humorous, jocular
  • Galician: cómico — pleasantly humorous, jocular
  • German: spaßig — pleasantly humorous, jocular
  • German: witzig — pleasantly humorous, jocular
  • German: lustig — pleasantly humorous, jocular
  • German: humorvoll — pleasantly humorous, jocular
  • German: drollig — pleasantly humorous, jocular
  • Greek: ευτράπελος (eftrápelos) — pleasantly humorous, jocular
  • Hungarian: tréfálkozó — pleasantly humorous, jocular
  • Italian: faceto — pleasantly humorous, jocular
  • Japanese: 剽軽 (hyōkin) — pleasantly humorous, jocular
  • Macedonian: сме́шен (sméšen) — pleasantly humorous, jocular
  • Macedonian: за́бавен (zábaven) — pleasantly humorous, jocular
  • Macedonian: ше́говит (šégovit) — pleasantly humorous, jocular
  • Portuguese: faceto — pleasantly humorous, jocular
  • Russian: шутли́вый (šutlívyj) — pleasantly humorous, jocular
  • Russian: шу́точный (šútočnyj) — pleasantly humorous, jocular
  • Russian: заба́вный (zabávnyj) — pleasantly humorous, jocular
  • Spanish: faceto — pleasantly humorous, jocular
  • Spanish: gracioso — pleasantly humorous, jocular
  • Spanish: facecioso — pleasantly humorous, jocular
  • Swedish: skämtsam — pleasantly humorous, jocular
  • Welsh: arabus — pleasantly humorous, jocular
  • Welsh: cellweirus — pleasantly humorous, jocular
  • Welsh: doniol — pleasantly humorous, jocular