One of the first things required before you go into anything is you must have adequate knowledge of the basis or foundation of that thing. It is the same thing with writing. You need to know the basics. Rather than having the basic knowledge, we will provide you with a more comprehensive understanding of the word “facetious.”
The word “facetious” is used when a person is attempting to be witty, funny, or humorous remarks when they ought to be serious. An example that depicts the use of “facetious” is: David enjoys being facetious when his parents scold his siblings.
It should not be a big deal to use the word “facetious” correctly in a sentence. We will make sure you have a great time learning about the word and ensuring you can use it correctly in your writings.
What Does The Word “Facetious” Mean?
For appropriate use of a word, you need to have a clear and deep understanding of that word. Hence it would be best if you studied a word before using it. This allows you to communicate excellently with others.
To achieve excellent communication with the word “facetious,” we will be discussing the vital aspect of the word that you need to understand. First, we will go into the etymology and meaning of the word “facetious.”
The meaning or definition of a word refers to what the word intends to convey or refers to in a sentence. A word’s etymology refers to that word’s root, where the word was coined out or derived from.
Now, what is the etymology of the word “facetious?”
The word “facetious” is from the French word “facetieux,” which was coined out from the word “facetie,” which is from the Latin word “facetia” (meaning jest), from the word “facetus” (which means witty).
Next, we will dive into the meaning of the word “facetious.”
The word “facetious” is used when referring to someone who is often joking inappropriately. It also refers to always jesting, especially when it is not needed or is improper.
It means being humorous or funny, not being serious when you are supposed to be. It also refers to not mean what you say to be funny or to trick someone into believing what you said to be true.
The word “facetious” is also used to describe someone who has lighthearted behavior and a passion for continually joking. It also means a lack of seriousness, especially at inappropriate times.
It means being jocular, funny, witty, and humorous, being silly in a childish way. It also means making jokes about something serious. It also refers to taking serious issues as a joke in a deliberate manner.
Although in most cases, the word “facetious” is used to describe an unserious person, it is also defined as being pleasantly funny, jocular, or humorous. It also means causing laughter and providing entertainment for others.
The nature of the word “facetious” is an adjective, and like all adjectives, it describes the noun in the sentence.
Synonyms and Antonyms of the Word “Facetious”
Next, we will be discussing the synonyms of the word “facetious,”i.e. words similar in meaning to “facetious”. The synonyms of the word “facetious” are:
- Flippant
- Frivolous
- Glib
- Jesting
- Funny
- Joking
- Witty
- Playful
- Sarcastic
- Cheeky
- Foolish
- Lacking seriousness
- Lighthearted
- Vapid
- Blithe
Here are some examples that show the proper use of the synonyms of the word “facetious” in a sentence
Examples with “Facetious”
- I can’t believe she thought it would be funny to interrupt the chairman’s speech by making that facetious comment.
- I told my best friend that my cousin has a facetious character that constantly puts him in trouble with the entire family.
- Because she was too troublesome and facetious, nobody wanted to be her friend, so she was always lonely.
Examples with the synonyms of “Facetious”
- I can’t believe she thought it would be funny to interrupt the chairman’s speech by making that frivolous comment.
- I told my best friend that my cousin has a playful character that constantly puts him in trouble with the entire family.
- Because she was too troublesome and sarcastic, nobody wanted to be her friend, so she was always lonely.
These examples provide an understanding of the use of the word “facetious” and its synonyms.
Moving on, we will talk about the antonyms of the word “facetious,” i.e. words opposite in meaning to the word “facetious.” Some of the antonyms of the word “facetious” are viz:
- Serious
- Formal
- Humorless
- Unfunny
- Sincere
- Serious-minded
- Unamusing
- Grave
- Urgent
- Heartfelt
- Intense
- Wholehearted
- Genuine
- Straightforward
- Nervous
Examples with the antonyms of “Facetious”
- Because John is a very serious-minded person, he was loved and continuously praised by all the school teachers.
- He gave her a sincere apology for causing pain and conflict in her family due to his inexcusable actions.
- The pastor gave me an urgent call to come to the church immediately for an emergency meeting.
- I have never seen the headmaster jokingly give comments or corrections; he is usually straightforward when correcting someone, so everyone took him for a wicked man.
- I regretted paying for the comedy concert as most of the comedians were humorless.
These examples all portray the use of the antonyms of the word “facetious” in a sentence.
How To Properly Use “Facetious” In A Sentence
Having explained the meaning, origin, synonyms, and antonyms of the word “facetious,” we will discuss the proper way to use the word “facetious” in a sentence.
You use the word “facetious” when describing someone who is often unserious, mostly at the wrong time or situation. This means someone can have a “facetious” character or nature either naturally or at will.
The word is also used when referring to being funny or humorous when you are supposed to be serious. It is also used to say someone is silly in a childish way.
It is used when saying someone is treating a serious issue with inappropriate humor. When someone is cheerfully unconcerned about the future, you describe the person as being “facetious”.
Someone who is being “facetious” can sometimes be using humor to deflect people’s attention from a serious issue.
When writing, it is easy to confuse the word “facetious” with the word “factious” because they are similar in spelling and look alike. Although they are both adjectives, that is the only thing similar about them. While the word “facetious” has to do with humor and being witty, the word “factious” refers to an angry or bitter conflict caused by disagreeing on fundamental issues.
The word ‘facetious” is used to describe someone, or a comment lacking serious intent or is concerned with something unimportant or frivolous.
One of the synonyms of the word “facetious” is “sarcastic”. However, it would help if you kept in mind that the two words are not always interchangeable. Some “facetious” comments are not “sarcastic” and vice-versa.
The word “facetious” is also used negatively to rebuke or criticize someone’s lack of seriousness and cheeky attitude.
Illustrative Examples on how to use the word “Facetious”
Below are some illustrative examples that further clarify the correct use of the word “facetious” in a sentence.
- During the new president’s swearing-in, one of the people in attendance gave a facetious comment to ease the nerves of the new president.
- The school’s club president asked for inputs on what to do for the school, and Jane gave a facetious but valid point.
- Faith tried to make her younger brother stop crying by giving a facetious comment, but that only made him cry harder.
- James was facetious, but only because he was trying to calm his anger to don’t do something irrational.
- When Ella started talking about how perfect she is and what she owned, I wondered if she was facetious or serious, while everyone stared with derision.
- When she asked her question, people thought she was facetious but finally realized that she was very serious and was expecting an answer to her question.
- We met lots of facetious folks during our travels to different countries, and some made us angry while others made us simile.
- Most celebrities have learned to accommodate facetious comments on Social media and even turn them into exciting topics.
- When he received his letter of congratulations on getting the job, he began dancing in the thrill of facetious joy.
- Before Miles came to visit, Peter told John that Miles has a facetious attitude, so he was quite surprised when Miles portrayed an act of seriousness at all times.
- One of my classmates likes giving facetious comments about the teachers who always earned him a detention.
- I realized that talking to Presley about my financial issues is terrible because of his facetious personality.
- Madison’s parents are always angry about her facetious attitude to rebukes and corrections.
With the examples provided above, using the word “facetious” when writing should no longer be a problem.
Final Thoughts
To use the word “facetious” when writing is not difficult when you have the right knowledge and information on the word. This article will help provide that knowledge and information.
So now that you read up and you too can be knowledgeable and use this word confidently.
Shawn Manaher is the founder and CEO of The Content Authority. He’s one part content manager, one part writing ninja organizer, and two parts leader of top content creators. You don’t even want to know what he calls pancakes.