1
as in superficial
having or showing a lack of depth of understanding or character
the movie takes a facile look at what happens when teens enter into serious romantic relationships
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in easy
involving minimal difficulty or effort
a few early facile victories misled the country into thinking that the war would be short and relatively painless
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 facile
Demonizing the delta smelt was — and is — a way to make facile points to uninformed voters by suggesting that the interests of what appears to be an unimportant fish are somehow elevated above those of human residents.
—
Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 14 Jan. 2025
Coppola’s emphasis on white protagonist Cesar is, in Hollywood liberal terms, facile and archaic.
—Armond White, National Review, 4 Oct. 2024
The benefit of all of this, of course, is a shift toward recognizing, at least in the zeitgeist, the seemingly facile truth: that moms have identities and desires beyond being moms.
—Cady Lang, TIME, 24 May 2024
The commentary on social media is mostly facile, although a humiliating trick played on Nikki is devilishly funny and some of the flashback-recap sequences make zippy use of online video.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 25 Jan. 2024
See All Example Sentences for facile
Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 14 Jan. 2025
Coppola’s emphasis on white protagonist Cesar is, in Hollywood liberal terms, facile and archaic.
—Armond White, National Review, 4 Oct. 2024
The benefit of all of this, of course, is a shift toward recognizing, at least in the zeitgeist, the seemingly facile truth: that moms have identities and desires beyond being moms.
—Cady Lang, TIME, 24 May 2024
The commentary on social media is mostly facile, although a humiliating trick played on Nikki is devilishly funny and some of the flashback-recap sequences make zippy use of online video.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 25 Jan. 2024
See All Example Sentences for facile
Recent Examples of Synonyms for facile
Adjective
-
So, pretty people and sunshine are a superficial symptom of something much deeper.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
30 Sep. 2025
-
Mark’s bond with another trainer, Bas Rutten (played by the real-life former wrestler and broadcaster Bas Rutten), is similarly superficial.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
30 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
But finding a good financial advisor isn't easy.—
Kate Dore, CFP®, EA,Kelli Grant, CFP®,
CNBC,
1 Oct. 2025
-
The 44-year-old driver led the race for an impressive 159 laps, and a win seemed like an easy thing to achieve.—
Saajan Jogia,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Anybody, whether on the left or the right, who is unwilling to accept the possibility that their own views may be wrong, has no more than a shallow commitment to freedom of opinion and expression.—
DP Opinion,
Denver Post,
26 Sep. 2025
-
Because of its shallow bowl and medium-length prongs, this hair diffuser dryer is best for shorter hair lengths or fine, curly hair, effectively lifting and setting any curl pattern.—
Stacia Datskovska,
Footwear News,
26 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Don’t pull over in the roundabout Roundabouts with a single lane of traffic in each direction are fairly simple – yield to traffic in the roundabout, wait for a gap in traffic and go through, Bryson said.—
Eric D. Lawrence,
USA Today,
28 Sep. 2025
-
This can be as simple as bodyweight movements, resistance bands or dumbbells, focusing on compound/functional movements like squats, pushes and pulls.—
Melissa Rudy,
FOXNews.com,
27 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Blend until smooth and add to the bowl with the rind mixture.—
Laura Mclively,
Mercury News,
26 Sep. 2025
-
Both are tender and delicious with smooth, savory fillings that include fine cheeses and spices.—
Abigail Wilt,
Southern Living,
26 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Wahlberg plays a holy fool in Boogie Nights, our naïve but well-endowed guide through the heyday of theatrical pornography and its decline into something cheaper and tawdrier courtesy of the triumph of VHS.—
Alison Willmore,
Vulture,
25 Sep. 2025
-
It’s been used to import cheap foreign labor at the expense of Americans.—
Billal Rahman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Facile.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/facile. Accessed 2 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share