Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Playfully jocular; humorous.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Sportive; jocular, without lack of dignity; abounding in fun: as, a facetious companion.
  • Full of pleasantry; playful, but not undignified; exciting laughter: as, a facetious story.
  • Synonyms Merry, Jovial, etc. (see jolly); jocose, humorous, funny, droll, comical.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Given to wit and good humor; merry; sportive; jocular.
  • adjective Characterized by wit and pleasantry; exciting laughter.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Treating serious issues with deliberately inappropriate humor; flippant.
  • adjective Pleasantly humorous, jocular.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective cleverly amusing in tone

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

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

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From French facétieux, from Latin facetia ("jest, wit"), from facetus ("witty").

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Examples

  • The words “excellent in the quality he professes,” refer most likely to the Poet's acting; while the term facetious is used, apparently, not in the sense it now bears, but in that of felicitous or happy, as was common at that time.

    Shakespeare His Life Art And Characters Hudson, H N 1872

  • I don't mean to be facetious, because I don't know what the word facetious means.

    NYT > Home Page By ANDREW C. REVKIN 2011

  • But this is what I call the facetious riddle invented by you: the demigods or spirits are gods, and you say first that I do not believe in gods, and then again that I do believe in gods; that is, if I believe in demigods.

    The Apology 2006

  • But this is what I call the facetious riddle invented by you: the demigods or spirits are gods, and you say first that I do not believe in gods, and then again that I do believe in gods; that is, if I believe in demigods.

    Apology 427? BC-347? BC Plato 1855

  • I like the word facetious too, Zoom, because I associate it with a very funny story.

    Unwrapping the mayor « knitnut.net 2008

  • The first time I ever heard the word facetious was on a Simpsons episode.

    dailycomic Diary Entry dailycomic 2008

  • He had meant to be a little facetious about the Greek words; but it was the slowly prepared and rather exasperating facetiousness of an ageing man, and he had dropped it listlessly, as though he himself had perceived this.

    Clayhanger Arnold Bennett 1899

  • This provided too good an opportunity for the wits of the town to miss, and they promptly renamed the house as the Goose and Gridiron, which recalls the facetious landlord who, on gaining possession of premises once used as a music-house, chose for his sign a goose stroking the bars of a gridiron and inscribed beneath, "The Swan and Harp."

    Inns and Taverns of Old London

  • "White," called a facetious member, but White did not notice.

    Southern Prose and Poetry for Schools 1910

  • ` ` White, '' called a facetious member, but White did not notice.

    Old Creole Days 1879

Comments

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  • uses all five vowels in order

    December 1, 2006

  • how clever!

    November 20, 2007

  • (adv): facetiously uses all the printed versions of vowels AND the semivowel "y" in alphabetical order.

    January 1, 2009

  • Hum, fəsi:ʃəsli appears to use three vowels, which means there's about 17 others that don't occur in it

    January 1, 2009

  • For other words with the pattern of facetiously, see aeiouy.

    January 1, 2009

  • I'm staying clear of the sauce at tonight's party, said Tom, abstemiously.

    January 1, 2009

  • All five vowels occur in this word once only and in alphabetical order.

    August 1, 2009

  • "A late facetious writer, who told the public that whenever he was dull they might be assured there was a design in it."

    Henry Fielding (1707-1754), Tom Jones, bk. ii, ch. 9

    September 20, 2009

  • i was being facetious when i said the food was good

    October 1, 2010

  • In any case, in the hands of a facetious medical student a corpse can be made to laugh by manipulating the orbicular of the lips.

    Georges Bataille, The Tears of Eros

    November 29, 2011

  • The difference between sarcasm and facetious is that sarcasm has more truth than wit and facetious has more wit than truth.

    February 20, 2012