facetious

not to be taken seriously; amusing; humorous; frivolous: I was only being facetious.

Not to be confused with:

factitious – artificial; contrived: His enthusiastic response was factitious.; made; manufactured: a factitious part

fictitious – spurious, fake; fictional; created or assumed with the intention to conceal: a fictitious name; imaginatively produced: a fictitious story

fa·ce·tious

(fə-sē′shəs)

adj.

Playfully jocular; humorous: facetious remarks.

[French facétieux, from facétie, jest, from Latin facētia, from facētus, witty.]

fa·ce′tious·ly adv.

fa·ce′tious·ness n.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

facetious

(fəˈsiːʃəs)

adj

1. characterized by levity of attitude and love of joking: a facetious person.

2. jocular or amusing, esp at inappropriate times: facetious remarks.

[C16: from Old French facetieux, from facetie witty saying; see facetiae]

faˈcetiously adv

faˈcetiousness n

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

fa•ce•tious

(fəˈsi ʃəs)

adj.

1. not meant to be taken seriously or literally: a facetious remark.

2. amusing; humorous.

3. lacking serious intent: a facetious person.

[1585–95; < Latin facētus clever, witty. See -ious]

fa•ce′tious•ly, adv.

fa•ce′tious•ness, n.

facetious

- Originally meant "having polished or urbane manners," and, along with sequoia, uses all five vowels.

facetious

adjective flippant, funny, amusing, witty, merry, humorous, playful, pleasant, frivolous, tongue in cheek, comical, jesting, droll, jocular, waggish, unserious, jocose Are you going to listen or just make facetious remarks?
serious, earnest, grave, genuine, sober, sincere, thoughtful, sedate, lugubrious, pensive, dinkum (Austral & N.Z. informal)

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

facetious

adjective

Intended to excite laughter or amusement:

comedic, funny, humorous, jocose, jocular, witty.

Translations

طَريف، فَكِه

лекомисленнепочтителеншеговит

směšnývtipný

scherzhaft witzig drollig

epäasiallinen

facétieux

tréfás

gamansamur

faceto

juokaujamaijuokaujamassąmojingaisąmojingumas

jocīgszobgalīgs

grappigspotterig

anstrengt morsom ironisk

veselý

alaycı

滑稽的

facetious

[fəˈsiːʃəs] ADJ [person] → ocurrente, ingenioso; [remark] → jocoso, gracioso
don't be facetious → deja de decir frivolidades

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

facetious

[fəˈsiːʃəs] adj → facétieux/euse

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

facetious

adj remark, speech, tone → witzelnd, spöttisch, mokant; to be facetious (about something) (→ über etw (acc)) → Witze machen, sich (→ über etw (acc)) → mokieren; facetious humour → Blödeleien pl; if satire is merely facetious → wenn Satire zur Blödelei wird; I was just being facetious → das war doch nur ein Witz or so eine Blödelei (inf)

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

facetious

[fəˈsiːʃəs] adj → faceto/a
don't be facetious → non fare lo spiritoso

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

facetious

(fəˈsiːʃəs) adjective

not serious; intended to be funny or humorous. a facetious remark.

faˈcetiously adverb

faˈcetiousness noun

Mentioned in

References in classic literature

With the passionate song of the bullets and the banshee shrieks of shells were mingled loud catcalls and bits of facetious advice concerning places of safety.

View in context

When, another time, in all innocence this happened again, he became conscious of it and of its effect upon her; and thereafter, when she grew too wildly wild, too wantonly facetious in her teasing playful love of him, he would thrust his muzzle at her face and make her throw her head back to escape him.

View in context

To say the truth, these soporific parts are so many scenes of serious artfully interwoven, in order to contrast and set off the rest; and this is the true meaning of a late facetious writer, who told the public that whenever he was dull they might be assured there was a design in it.

View in context

My captain, you must have ere this perceived, respected sir --said the imperturbable godly-looking Bunger, slightly bowing to Ahab -- is apt to be facetious at times; he spins us many clever things of that sort.

View in context

He was bored at the vicarage, and when on the last day his uncle put him the usual question in the usual facetious tone:

View in context

Have you been encouraging her to talk?" he asked, turning to Emily, and shaking his finger at her with an air of facetious remonstrance.

View in context

An oath or two, cat-calls, jeers and bits of facetious advice were given in reply.

View in context

A chance meeting, a service rendered, a happy phrase, a knack of facetious mimicry, and a man's career might be made in a trice.

View in context

But, making Oliver cry, Noah attempted to be more facetious still; and in his attempt, did what many sometimes do to this day, when they want to be funny.

View in context

So long as their progress was confined to the streets of Bristol, the facetious Bob kept his professional green spectacles on, and conducted himself with becoming steadiness and gravity of demeanour; merely giving utterance to divers verbal witticisms for the exclusive behoof and entertainment of Mr.

View in context

The discourse was resumed presently, but it went lame and halting, all possibility of impressiveness being at an end; for even the gravest sentiments were constantly being received with a smothered burst of unholy mirth, under cover of some remote pew-back, as if the poor parson had said a rarely facetious thing.

View in context

"Yah!" cried Wemmick, suddenly hitting out at the turnkey in a facetious way, "you're dumb as one of your own keys when you have to do with my principal, you know you are.

View in context