1
as in superficial
having or showing a lack of depth of understanding or character
the movie takes a facile look at what happens when teens enter into serious romantic relationships
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in easy
involving minimal difficulty or effort
a few early facile victories misled the country into thinking that the war would be short and relatively painless
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of facile
Demonizing the delta smelt was — and is — a way to make facile points to uninformed voters by suggesting that the interests of what appears to be an unimportant fish are somehow elevated above those of human residents.
—
Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 14 Jan. 2025
Coppola’s emphasis on white protagonist Cesar is, in Hollywood liberal terms, facile and archaic.
—Armond White, National Review, 4 Oct. 2024
The benefit of all of this, of course, is a shift toward recognizing, at least in the zeitgeist, the seemingly facile truth: that moms have identities and desires beyond being moms.
—Cady Lang, TIME, 24 May 2024
The commentary on social media is mostly facile, although a humiliating trick played on Nikki is devilishly funny and some of the flashback-recap sequences make zippy use of online video.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 25 Jan. 2024
See All Example Sentences for facile
Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 14 Jan. 2025
Coppola’s emphasis on white protagonist Cesar is, in Hollywood liberal terms, facile and archaic.
—Armond White, National Review, 4 Oct. 2024
The benefit of all of this, of course, is a shift toward recognizing, at least in the zeitgeist, the seemingly facile truth: that moms have identities and desires beyond being moms.
—Cady Lang, TIME, 24 May 2024
The commentary on social media is mostly facile, although a humiliating trick played on Nikki is devilishly funny and some of the flashback-recap sequences make zippy use of online video.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 25 Jan. 2024
See All Example Sentences for facile
Recent Examples of Synonyms for facile
Adjective
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Whereas Black Ops 6 relished in the texture of its period setting, giving players maps ranging from a warlord’s villa filled with luxury cars or dilapidated bus depots overgrown with foliage, BLOPS 7 has a superficial glossiness to each of its levels.—
Christopher Cruz,
Rolling Stone,
7 Oct. 2025
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The changes between the two Codalungas aren’t limited to the superficial, though.—
Bryan Hood,
Robb Report,
7 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Old-school phishing emails were easy to spot because of typos and bad grammar.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
14 Oct. 2025
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While allowed, breaking away from it would not be easy for Pennsylvania—or any other state which is currently served by it.—
Giulia Carbonaro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Some roads and low-lying property including parking lots, parks, lawns, and homes adjacent to the waterfront will experience shallow flooding.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
11 Oct. 2025
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One without the other, to me, feels shallow.—
Sofía Viera,
Allure,
10 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Strufe adds that while intelligence agencies or cybercriminals have simpler ways to monitor people – such as accessing CCTV cameras or video doorbells – the widespread presence of wireless networks could eventually form a near-comprehensive surveillance infrastructure.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
11 Oct. 2025
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The simplest way to find influential people in a network is called degree centrality—just count the number of connections for each person.—
Jack Murtagh,
Scientific American,
11 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The katakuchi spout is a nod to functionality, allowing for smooth pouring during tea ceremonies or morning caffeine cravings.—
Audrey Lee,
Architectural Digest,
10 Oct. 2025
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Long-term success isn’t defined by smooth quarters but by the consistency of form across time.—
Eleanor Pringle,
Fortune,
10 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Multiverse’s argument that compressed models significantly cut energy use might also not hold up over time, because cheaper, more accessible AI models will likely attract billions more users.—
Vivienne Walt,
Fortune,
9 Oct. 2025
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The judge While Royal Caribbean’s attorney dispute the rebuttal, the matter now falls to Judge Shaw-Wlider, who will make a ruling that will be closely watched and could have important consequences, especially in a digital age when cameras are smaller and cheaper.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
9 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Facile.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/facile. Accessed 15 Oct. 2025.
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