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facetious

facetious

14 8.1
To make jokes that are not serious and may upset people
  • adjective
  • /fəˈsiːʃəs/
translation icon : jocoso
  • His facetious remarks during the meeting lightened the atmosphere, even though the topic was serious.

OK, that sounded facetious, but it wasn't.

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Examples

  • I assumed that he was just being facetious, but he sounded so serious when he said it.

  • "Really, you could almost be his mother, Evastina," quipped the mayor, who was in a facetious mood.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • - Are you being facetious? -

  • - Why are you being facetious, sir?

  • This is not a facetious question, but OK, I'll start like this.

  • The two men seemed not to hear him, so involved were they in their facetious argument.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • At the risk of appearing facetious, sir, you had better tell that to the judge.

  • - No sense in being facetious, Mr. McPherson.

  • I don't mean to be facetious, Mr. president, but whose understanding...

  • "I'm not trying to be facetious or brave or brag or complain either," he said.

    Blog text (21)

Synonyms

funny
vsfacetious
1.0

Causing people to laugh or smile

is clever and deliberately inappropriate when aimed at serious topics
witty
vsfacetious
85 3.8

Quick clever remarks that make people laugh

is humor that treats serious issues with deliberate inappropriateness
humorous
vsfacetious
76 1.6

Funny in a way that makes people laugh

is specifically about treating important issues with inappropriate humor
comical
vsfacetious
39 3.1

Making people laugh because it is silly or unusual

is clever and often deliberately turns serious matters into inappropriate jokes
wry
vsfacetious
21 7.5

Showing dry, slightly mocking humor and not taking things seriously

leans more toward deliberately inappropriate amusement at serious matters
jokey
vsfacetious
  • Informal
6 3.9

Said or done to be funny rather than serious

is more deliberate and clever when mocking serious topics
jocular
vsfacetious
3 6.8

Playful and friendly in a joking way

is applied when humor deliberately and inappropriately addresses serious matters
tongue-in-cheek
vsfacetious
  • Informal
2 6.8

Joking and not meant to be taken seriously

is used to treat serious topics with deliberately inappropriate humor
joking
vsfacetious
2 1.2

Meant to be funny, not serious

is used when humor specifically treats serious subjects inappropriately
ironical
vsfacetious
1 6.4

Saying the opposite of what you mean to be funny or mocking

focuses on joking about serious issues in a deliberately inappropriate way
bantering
vsfacetious
  • Informal
5.7

Friendly teasing that makes people laugh

is harsher, targeting serious topics rather than gentle teasing

Antonyms

452 1.4

Calm and focused, not playful or joking

239 2.5

Being honest and showing what you really feel

How Humorous

sarcastic
99 4.0
witty
85 3.8
facetious
14 8.1
flippant
15 7.7
joking
2 1.2
playful
79 1.6

Surface Forms

facetious positive
facetier comparative
facetiousest superlative

Etymology

Facetious comes from the Latin words facetus and facetia, which mean 'witty' and 'jest'. So to be facetious is to make playful, joking remarks, often in a way that can be wrong for serious moments.