facile

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adjective fac·ile \ ˈfa-səl \

Definition of facile

1 a (1) :easily accomplished or attained

a facile victory

(2) :shallow, simplistic

I am not concerned … with offering any facile solution for so complex a problem
—T. S. Eliot

b :used or comprehended with ease

c :readily manifested and often lacking sincerity or depth

facile tears

2 archaic :mild or pleasing in manner or disposition

3 a :ready, fluent

facile prose

b :poised, assured

a facile lecturer

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facilely

play \ˈfa-sə(l)-lē\ adverb

—

facileness

play \ˈfa-səl-nəs\ noun

See facile defined for English-language learners

See facile defined for kids

facile was our Word of the Day on 01/03/2008. Hear the podcast!

Examples of facile in a Sentence

But in the less palmy days of their marriage and the final years of his life, Lennon produced (with Yoko's help) shallow, facile recordings that cannibalized his early work. —Francine Prose, The Lives of the Muses, 2002
Melville shrank from atheism, and from all facile theisms. —John Updike, Hugging the Shore, (1983) 1984
… I saw that my old enemy was dead, Amy [Lowell], noble Amy. How I despised myself then for my facile self-pity and for my failure to die—how she seemed to have worsted me once again. —Conrad Aiken 14 May 1925, in Selected Letters of Conrad Aiken, 1978
This problem needs more than just a facile solution.
He is a wonderfully facile writer.

Recent Examples of facile from the Web

But to treat issues such as affirmative action, cultural appropriation, and the like in the same way is blinkered and facile.

— john mcwhorter, National Review, "Stop Obsessing Over Race and IQ," 5 July 2017
As Drezner notes, some of the marquee names in thought leadership are distinguished by their facile thinking and transparent servility to the wealthy.

— david sessions, New Republic, "The Rise of the Thought Leader," 28 June 2017
But just as subjection is complicated here, any facile notion of female agency, that appealing analgesic applied in college women’s studies classes, is also exploded in these pages.

— nina renata aron, New Republic, "Love in the Gig Economy," 15 June 2017
Lister-Jones side-steps facile developments (don’t count on a record-contract bail-out) and stays doggedly within the reality of a shaky marriage in a way that is both admirable and taxing.

— gary thompson, Philly.com, "Sisterhood act: 'Band Aid' is the first movie with an all-female crew. It's also funny.," 14 June 2017
Still, if Martin’s take on grief is facile, the movie overall is a pleasant trip, and Dean’s doodles — by Martin himself — are a treat.

— neil genzlinger, The Seattle Times, "‘Dean’ review: Working — and doodling — through grief," 14 June 2017
Although Hitchcock dwells rather long and lovingly on some portions of the material, his facile directorial paint-brush, plus the intriguing backgrounds and interesting characters, combine to hold audience interest keyed up at all times.

— thr staff, The Hollywood Reporter, "'The Man Who Knew Too Much': THR's 1956 Review," 1 June 2017
Still, if Mr. Martin’s take on grief is facile, the movie overall is a pleasant trip, and Dean’s doodles — by Mr. Martin himself —

— neil genzlinger, New York Times, "Review: In ‘Dean,’ Demetri Martin Doodles Through Grief," 31 May 2017
Which makes the normal injunction that FBI directors not interfere in elections facile and impossible to follow.

— charles krauthammer, Twin Cities, "Charles Krauthammer: All these implausibilities," 14 May 2017

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

Did You Know?

Would you have guessed that "facile" and "difficult" are related? They are! "Facile" comes to us through Middle French, from the Latin word facilis, meaning "easy, and ultimately from facere, meaning "to make or do." "Difficult" traces to "facilis" as well, but its history also involves the negative prefix dis-, meaning "not." "Facile" can mean "easy" or "easily done," as befits its Latin roots, but it now often adds the connotation of undue haste or shallowness, as in "facile answers to complex questions."

Origin and Etymology of facile

Middle French, from Latin facilis, from facere to do — more at do

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

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facile Synonyms

Synonyms

superficial, one-dimensional, shallow, skin-deep

Antonyms

deep, profound

Related Words

cursory, hasty, oversimple, passing, sketchy; aimless, desultory, haphazard, hit-or-miss, random; limited, narrow, restricted

Near Antonyms

discerning, penetrant, penetrating; definitive, hard; broad, complete, comprehensive, exhaustive, extensive, far-reaching, wide; general, global, inclusive; detailed, in-depth; critical

Synonym Discussion of facile

easy, facile, simple, light, effortless, smooth mean not demanding effort or involving difficulty. easy is applicable either to persons or things imposing tasks or to activity required by such tasks.

- an easy college course

facile often adds to easy the connotation of undue haste or shallowness.

- facile answers to complex questions

simple stresses ease in understanding or dealing with because complication is absent.

- a simple problem in arithmetic

light stresses freedom from what is burdensome.

- a light teaching load

effortless stresses the appearance of ease and usually implies the prior attainment of artistry or expertness.

- moving with effortless grace

smooth stresses the absence or removal of all difficulties, hardships, or obstacles.

- a smooth ride

FACILE Defined for English Language Learners

facile

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adjective

Definition of facile for English Language Learners

: too simple : not showing enough thought or effort
: done or achieved in a way that is too easy
: working, moving, or performing well and very easily

Learn More about facile

See words that rhyme with facile Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for facile Spanish Central: Translation of facile Nglish: Translation of facile for Spanish speakers

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facile

Definition of facile

facilely

facileness

From the M-W Editors

facile was our Word of the Day on 01/03/2008. Hear the podcast!

Examples of facile in a Sentence

Recent Examples of facile from the Web

Did You Know?

Origin and Etymology of facile

facile Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

Synonym Discussion of facile

FACILE Defined for English Language Learners

facile

Definition of facile for English Language Learners

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