All Words
Tuesday, May 27, 2025
Word of the Day

facetious

adjective

Treating serious issues with deliberately inappropriate humor; flippant.

Intermediate - Known to most educated speakers

Etymology

From French facétieux, from facétie "jest," from Latin facetia "jest, witty saying," from facetus "witty, elegant."

Examples in Use

  • 1.

    "His facetious remark fell flat in the serious meeting."

  • 2.

    "She was being facetious, not offering a real suggestion."

  • 3.

    "The facetious comment lightened the tense mood."

Related Vocabulary

Synonyms

flippantjokinghumorouswittyplayful

Related Words

tongue-in-cheekjocularfrivolousglib

Fun Fact

Facetious is one of few English words containing all five vowels in order (a-e-i-o-u). Others include "abstemious" (sparing in eating/drinking). Adding "y" gives "facetiously."

Word Game Tips

Letters: 9 letters (F, A, C, E, T, I, O, U, S)

Scrabble Value: 14 points

Tip: Words ending in "US" are often good scoring opportunities.

Put Your Vocabulary to the Test!

Ready to find words like "facetious" in a puzzle? Try today's Zabble challenge!