FACETIOUS - 8 definitions found
facetious adj 1: cleverly amusing in tone; "a bantering tone"; "facetious remarks"; "tongue-in-cheek advice" [syn: bantering, facetious, tongue-in-cheek] facetious 1592, from Fr. fac?tieux, from fac?tie "a joke," from L. facetia, from facetus "witty, elegant," of unknown origin, perhaps related to facis "torch." It implies a desire to be amusing, often intrusive or ill-timed. "Faceti?i in booksellers' catalogues, is, like curious, a euphemism for erotica." [Fowler] Oxford English Reference Dictionary
Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner\'s English Dictionary facetious If you say that someone is being facetious, you are criticizing them because they are making humorous remarks or saying things that they do not mean in a situation where they ought to be serious. The woman eyed him coldly. 'Don't be facetious,' she said. = flippant ADJ [disapproval] Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) Facetious \Fa*ce"tious\, a. [Cf. F. fac['e]tieux. See Faceti[ae].] 1. Given to wit and good humor; merry; sportive; jocular; as, a facetious companion. 2. Characterized by wit and pleasantry; exciting laughter; as, a facetious story or reply. -- Fa*ce"tious*ly, adv. -- Fa*ce"tious*ness, n. Soule\'s Dictionary of English Synonyms facetious a. 1. Witty, jocular, jocose, humorous, waggish, funny, comical, pleasant, droll. 2. Gay, merry, sportive, sprightly, lively, entertaining. Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 40 Moby Thesaurus words for "facetious": Attic, biting, blithe, brilliant, clever, comic, comical, droll, funny, humorous, humorsome, jesting, jocose, jocular, jocund, joking, joky, jolly, joshing, jovial, keen, keen-witted, laughable, ludicrous, merry, mordant, nimble-witted, pointed, pungent, quick-witted, rapier-like, salt, salty, scintillating, sharp, smart, sparkling, sprightly, whimsical, witty |
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