Illustration of facade
- facade 1
variants
or less commonly façade
1
: the front of a building
also
: any face of a building given special architectural treatment
a brick facade
the museum's east facade
2
: a false, superficial, or artificial appearance or effect
tried to preserve the facade of a happy marriage
These individuals have a deep understanding of who they are and what they stand for. They're grounded in reality and they don't feel the need to pretend or put on a façade for others.—Mia Zhang
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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, its “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 to 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”).
Cite this Entry
“Facade.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/facade. Accessed 29 Sep. 2026.
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