facade

noun

fə-ˈsäd How to pronounce facade (audio)
variants also façade
Definition of facadenext
1
as in front
a forward part or surface all of the stores in the mall have facades that are in keeping with the style of a 19th-century American village

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in pretense
a display of emotion or behavior that is insincere or intended to deceive his interest in acting is just a facade—he joined the drama club to meet girls

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in veneer
a deceptively attractive external appearance the company's facade of success collapsed when it was revealed that its financial officers had been cooking the books for years

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 facade Cha-Rie Tang and Mei-Ling Hubbard, the mother-daughter team behind Pasadena Craftsman Tile, created a façade that mirrors a style of tilework prevalent when Griffith Observatory opened in 1935. — Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2026 Film crews quickly set up facades that turned the Pacific Northwest town into the Deep South of the Civil War. — Brian Bull, NPR, 3 Sep. 2026 Fendi will take over the exterior facade and the full run of the 24 windows on the Knightsbridge street. — Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 2 Sep. 2026 And the Court Arcade facade won’t be the last Charlotte relic torn down for the city’s growth. — Desiree Mathurin, Charlotte Observer, 2 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for facade
Recent Examples of Synonyms for facade
  1. front
  2. pretense
  3. veneer
  4. guise
  5. gloss
  6. show
  7. pose
  8. act
Noun
  • The wow factor that had coaches and GMs gushing over the quarterback during the offseason was almost nowhere to be seen as Tulsa’s defensive front was in Mestemaker’s face most of Saturday.
    — Antonio Morales, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2026
  • Moore’s Mona Friedman is indeed a familiar figure, a shy and impressionable wife who quietly nods along at dinner, lets people cut in front of her at the store, and seems generally uninterested in sticking up for herself.
    — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of front
Noun
  • Using the pretense of a documentary film crew, the show follows the excruciatingly dull workday experiences of a paper supply company in a drab office in a bleak industrial estate in Slough, England.
    — René Ostberg, Encyclopedia Britannica, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Behind closed doors, Chloe gets hired by Melody under the pretense that Chloe is helping her teacher’s illiterate husband learn how to read.
    — Matt Minton, Variety, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of pretense
Noun
  • The same absence of sensationalism and veneer of reasonableness applies to the world inside Osama’s home.
    — Ritesh Mehta, IndieWire, 5 Sep. 2026
  • Spirit’s team created a warm mahogany-and-veneer interior defined by curves, with details such as fore-and-aft berths, a shower, a galley, and an electric head.
    — Michael Verdon, Robb Report, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of veneer
Noun
  • As critics such as Antonio Candido have remarked, regionalism was at bottom an attempt to render Latin American reality in its dominant rural guise.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Throughout the weekend, Dudamel embraced the worlds of Hollywood, Latin music in many guises and old-fashioned rock.
    — Classical Music Critic, Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of guise
Noun
  • Traditional tones like champagne, buttery beige, and honey are being reimagined with more gloss and depth.
    — Kat Suico, InStyle, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Among them is his baby son, who rests in ‘infantile sublimity, exuding a high gloss induced by early death….
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of gloss
Noun
  • Scripps also has dedicated studio shows for the WNBA and NWSL.
    — Hailey Salvian, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Kimmel, who regularly takes an extended break during the summer, had been away from his late-night show since June 18.
    — Brendan Morrow, USA Today, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of show
Noun
  • Former Anthropic researcher Jacob Coxon resigned from his role in pre-training AI models over safety concerns, claiming the unchecked corporate race to develop AI poses an unprecedented danger to humanity.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 9 Sep. 2026
  • According to Ghumman, the dangers that cannabis poses in traffic fatalities involve a delay in reaction time compared to someone who is not impaired and a lack of coordination.
    — Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of pose
Noun
  • And Oklahoma’s Isaiah Sategna got in on the act with an 88-yard punt return touchdown.
    — Manny Navarro, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Berry, who died on Monday at the age of 92, lived a life defined by acts of radical abstention.
    — Joe Fassler, The Atlantic, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of act

Browse Nearby Words

fabulousness
facade
facades
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Cite this Entry

“Facade.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/facade. Accessed 15 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on facade

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about facade

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