facade

noun fa·cade \ fə-ˈsäd \

variants: or less commonly façade

|Updated on: 4 Jul 2018

Examples: facade in a Sentence

Editor's Note: A Brief History of facade

Definition of facade

1 : the front of a building; also : any face of a building given special architectural treatment

a museum's east facade

2 : a false, superficial, or artificial appearance or effect

tried to preserve the facade of a happy marriage

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Examples of facade in a Sentence

"I mean, don't you find yourself being extra careful about what you say and how you say it? As if you have to be this phony, put on a facade, because you don't want to give them the wrong impression?" —Terry McMillan, Waiting to Exhale, 1992
When I watched him in motion picture roles after the war, I knew there was something of honest substance behind that acting façade. —Andrew A. Rooney, And More by Andy Rooney, (1979) 1982
… but his magic power of concentration was gone. All the façades he built up between himself and his desperate love never entirely hid it. —May Sarton, Shadow of a Man, 1950
the facade of the bank
the windowless façade of the skyscraper
They were trying to preserve the facade of a happy marriage.
I could sense the hostility lurking behind her polite facade.

Recent Examples of facade from the Web

The design paid homage to the iconic Allianz Arena, home to German Bundesliga soccer powerhouse Bayern Munich, and features a canopy and out-facing facade that can be illuminated with LED lights reflected off translucent material.

— patrick brennan, Cincinnati.com, "FC Cincinnati reveals training complex plans, stadium details coming Friday," 26 June 2018
And single-family homes are a possibility, though smaller facades would be built in factories.

— paul davidson, USA TODAY, "With construction workers scarce, homebuilders turn to robots, software," 25 June 2018
The 121-room hotel is an oh-so-Santa-Barbara kind of place, with beautiful facades and decor, cushy rooms, sweeping views and fine restaurants under the direction of Alexander la Motte, formerly of Napa Valley's French Laundry.

— rosemary mcclure, latimes.com, "A weekend escape to Santa Barbara is still a wonder despite the fires and floods," 21 June 2018
The city did extensive exterior renovations in 2000 through the city's building facade program, which included repair of deteriorating masonry and window frames.

— linda girardi, Aurora Beacon-News, "Batavia to sell 1870s-era downtown building to kitchen and bath design firm," 19 June 2018
Despite many improvements to urban infrastructure prior to World Cup with airports, main roads and stadiums, there is still a very visible wish to cover all the ugly, destroyed and abandoned buildings under false fabric facades.

— SI.com, "PHOTOS: A Look Under the Hood of the 'Real Russia' Behind England's World Cup Group Games," 13 June 2018
Photographs from January 2018 show small brown and green spots on the marble facade of the mausoleum built by the Mughal ruler Shah Jahan for his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal.

— huizhong wu, CNN, "Indian court warns about Taj Mahal discoloration," 2 May 2018
Their finishing touch on a facade that just pulls the Americana look together.

— brie dyas, House Beautiful, "12 Signs You Live in an All-American Home," 10 June 2015
Offstage, the actors drop their facades and playfully chide castmates for odd improv choices.

— steve heisler, Chicago Reader, "The improv games at iO’s Riff turn into a goofy, full-fledged sing-along," 8 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'facade.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

A Brief History of facade

Facade is thought to have come to English from the Vulgar Latin facia, meaning “face.” Along the way it passed through both Italian, as faccia, and French, as _façade. The earliest meaning of the word in English was in reference to the front portion of a building, it’s “face,” so to speak (and face itself is sometimes used to describe this part of a structure as well). Somewhere along the way _ facade_ took on a figurative sense, referring to a way of behaving or appearing that gives other people a false idea of your true feelings or situation. This is similar the figurative use of veneer, which originally had the simple meaning of a thin layer of wood that was used to cover something, and now may also refer to a sort of deceptive behavior that masks one’s actual feelings (as in, “he had a thin veneer of politeness”).

Illustration of facade

Origin and Etymology of facade

borrowed from French, going back to Middle French fassade, borrowed from Italian facciata, from faccia "face" (going back to Vulgar Latin *facia) + -ata -ade — more at ¹face

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: circa 1681

in the meaning defined at sense 1

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