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facile
(redirected from facileness)

   Also found in: Encyclopedia 0.03 sec.
fac·ile  (fsl)
adj.
1. Done or achieved with little effort or difficulty; easy. See Synonyms at easy.
2. Working, acting, or speaking with effortless ease and fluency.
3. Arrived at without due care, effort, or examination; superficial: proposed a facile solution to a complex problem.
4. Readily manifested, together with an aura of insincerity and lack of depth: a facile slogan devised by politicians.
5. Archaic Pleasingly mild, as in disposition or manner.

[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin facilis; see dh- in Indo-European roots.]

facile·ly adv.
facile·ness n.

facile [fass-ile]
Adjective
1. (of a remark, argument, etc.) overly simple and showing lack of real thought
2. easily performed or achieved: a facile winner of his only race this year [Latin facilis easy]
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Adj.1.facile - arrived at without due care or effort; lacking depth; "too facile a solution for so complex a problem"
superficial - concerned with or comprehending only what is apparent or obvious; not deep or penetrating emotionally or intellectually; "superficial similarities"; "a superficial mind"; "his thinking was superficial and fuzzy"; "superficial knowledge"; "the superficial report didn't give the true picture"; "only superficial differences"
2.facile - performing adroitly and without effort; "a facile hand"
effortless - requiring or apparently requiring no effort; "the swallows glided in an effortless way through the busy air"
3.facile - expressing yourself readily, clearly, effectively; "able to dazzle with his facile tongue"; "silver speech"
articulate - expressing yourself easily or characterized by clear expressive language; "articulate speech"; "an articulate orator"; "articulate beings"

facile
Translations
Spanish facile [ˈfæsaɪl] adjsuperficial
French facile [ˈfæsaɪl] adjfacile
German facile [ˈfæsaɪl] adjoberflächlich;
(comment) → nichtssagend

Italian facile [ˈfæsaɪl] adjfacile; superficiale

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Perhaps the repetition of the images, seemingly chosen for their relative facileness, was in fact intended to expose their import (Athens=historic significance), or the opposite (Athens=empty signifier), or both?
 
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