1
as in witty
given to or marked by mature intelligent humor
the essay is a facetious commentary on the absurdity of war as a solution for international disputes
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in cute
making light of something usually regarded as serious or sacred
a facetious and tasteless remark about people in famine-stricken countries being spared the problem of overeating
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of facetious
Huff had one quarterback pressure Sunday (being facetious).
—
Matt Barrows, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2025
To be facetious, how many of those people who committed mass murder in the fifth largest city in America went to death row?
—Dave Zirin, Rolling Stone, 17 June 2025
At first, Yellow Face offers a facetious and overly complicated panorama, shuffling Daniel Dae Kim’s glibly intellectual DHH and Francis Jue’s heartfelt HYH among the Asian, black, and white supporting actors who portray various egotistic New York professionals.
—Armond White, National Review, 21 May 2025
In the 30-second ad, 314 Action presented Kennedy’s swim in Rock Creek as absurd, posting it next to two facetious headlines saying Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered drone strikes from a steam bath and another saying Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem shot and killed another dog.
—Joseph Choi, The Hill, 19 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for facetious
Matt Barrows, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2025
To be facetious, how many of those people who committed mass murder in the fifth largest city in America went to death row?
—Dave Zirin, Rolling Stone, 17 June 2025
At first, Yellow Face offers a facetious and overly complicated panorama, shuffling Daniel Dae Kim’s glibly intellectual DHH and Francis Jue’s heartfelt HYH among the Asian, black, and white supporting actors who portray various egotistic New York professionals.
—Armond White, National Review, 21 May 2025
In the 30-second ad, 314 Action presented Kennedy’s swim in Rock Creek as absurd, posting it next to two facetious headlines saying Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered drone strikes from a steam bath and another saying Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem shot and killed another dog.
—Joseph Choi, The Hill, 19 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for facetious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for facetious
Adjective
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The service The staff are gentle but also fun, witty and joyful, such as Rini, who can answer almost any question on Bawah; Nintya who handles landscaping and permaculture; and the waiter Julian, who likes to practice his English accent.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
3 June 2026
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To make the musical masterpiece of his dreams, Lestat will have to break on through his shell of witty cruelty and hope an authentic soul remains intact beneath it.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
2 June 2026
Adjective
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Keep scrolling to start the season strong with ’90s-but-better jelly mules, cute lightweight dresses, and a sling bag that’s about to become your water bottle’s new best friend.—
Annie Blackman,
InStyle,
6 June 2026
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Bonus points for picking separates in the same color palette (red and white is a particularly cute, preppy combo, as shown above).—
Kelsey Stewart,
Glamour,
6 June 2026
Adjective
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The actress, 52, shared a humorous Instagram Reel on Thursday, June 4.—
Angela Andaloro,
PEOPLE,
5 June 2026
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As Fey said in an interview pegged to season one, the truth is humorous.—
Dana Feldman,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2026
Adjective
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Chick lit was flippant and fizzy and fun, above all, as effervescent and guiltless as a vodka soda.—
Hillary Busis,
Vanity Fair,
4 May 2026
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During his Monday night Daily Show episode, the political comic blasted the POTUS’ flippant attitude toward his largely unfavorable military decisions in the SWANA region.—
Natalie Oganesyan,
Deadline,
30 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The sale features impressive savings on patio furniture, area rugs, Adirondack chairs, and clever storage solutions that make handling household clutter easy.—
Tanya Sharma,
PEOPLE,
6 June 2026
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June 2026 As Motto by Hilton’s second property in Mexico, Motto by Hilton Guadalajara Centro Historico will bring the brand’s clever, connected offerings to Guadalajara’s historic district.—
Roger Sands,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2026
Adjective
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Former keepers who visited on May 13 said the 2-year-old has bonded with surrogate mother Fredrika and developed a playful, mischievous personality.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
8 June 2026
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Travis came up with the playful name, which was inspired by the city's cold winters.—
Jori Parys,
CBS News,
8 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Facetious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/facetious. Accessed 9 Jun. 2026.
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