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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What starts as a challenge soon turns into a witty, emotional enemies-to-lovers story that forces both writers to rethink their beliefs about love, happiness and happy endings.—
Lily Brown,
PEOPLE,
8 June 2026
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Missing the gritty vigor of the first two films, Rocky III is more focused on violence than its predecessors and less interested in the witty character work that defined the original.—
Declan Gallagher,
Entertainment Weekly,
5 June 2026
Adjective
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Everyone loves the idea of packing cute sandals for a summer Europe trip, until they’re covered in blisters halfway through the day and begging to call a taxi.—
Rosie Marder,
Travel + Leisure,
13 June 2026
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So, naturally, PEOPLE reached out to get all the details about their new pals, along with some exclusive, shamelessly cute photos of them all.—
Breanne L. Heldman,
PEOPLE,
13 June 2026
Adjective
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The title is a humorous, literal reference to the late father’s large piece of bone left after cremation.—
Jenny S. Li,
Variety,
12 June 2026
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Their viral, humorous videos about his adventures in life and their father-daughter moments are followed by more than 3 million people.—
Lisa Gutierrez,
Kansas City Star,
11 June 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 trouble is that the clever work is the part the market actually values.—
Dara-Abasi Ita,
Forbes.com,
13 June 2026
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Perspective widens as the intuitive Moon moves through your 9th House of Exploration, sextiling clever Mercury in your 11th House of Friendship.—
Tarot.com,
New York Daily News,
12 June 2026
Adjective
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The Rabbit Hole is more playful, with its games room, pool table, ping pong and private bar, seemingly designed for long nights and bad decisions.—
Arion McNicoll,
TheWeek,
15 June 2026
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The result was a sleek white ruffled top, when worn with matching trousers felt both modern and refreshing while another floral skirt embodied a playful feminine energy that personified warm weather dressing.—
Diana Tsui,
Footwear News,
15 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Facetious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/facetious. Accessed 16 Jun. 2026.
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