8 definitions found for facetious

Facetious FACE'TIOUS, a. [L. facetus; facetia, or plu.]
1. Merry; sportive; jocular; sprightly with wit and good humor; as a facetious companion.
2. Witty; full of pleasantry playful; exciting laughter; as a facetious story; a facetious reply.

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]

facetious
adj.
1 characterized by flippant or inopportune humour.
2 (of a person) intending to be amusing, esp. inopportunely.
Derivatives:
facetiously adv. facetiousness n.
Etymology: F facétieux f. facétie f. L facetia jest

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]

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.

facetious a. 1. Witty, jocular, jocose, humorous, waggish, funny, comical, pleasant, droll. 2. Gay, merry, sportive, sprightly, lively, entertaining.

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