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.
[disapproval]
The woman eyed him coldly. 'Don't be facetious,' she said.
Synonyms: flippant, funny, amusing, witty More Synonyms of facetious
facetiouslygraded adverb [ADVERB with verb]
Al facetiously described himself as the Last Angry Man.
facetious in British English
(fəˈsiːʃəs)
adjective
1.
characterized by levity of attitude and love of joking
a facetious person
2.
jocular or amusing, esp at inappropriate times
facetious remarks
Derived forms
facetiously (faˈcetiously)
adverb
facetiousness (faˈcetiousness)
noun
Word origin
C16: from Old French facetieux, from facetie witty saying; see facetiae
facetious in American English
(fəˈsiʃəs)
adjective
joking or trying to be jocular, esp. at an inappropriate time
SIMILAR WORDS: ˈwitty
Derived forms
facetiously (faˈcetiously)
adverb
facetiousness (faˈcetiousness)
noun
Word origin
Fr facétieux < L facetia: see facetiae & -ous
Examples of 'facetious' in a sentence
facetious
Neil was suspicious of the old pilot's facetious tone, sensing that some elaborate practical joke was about to unfold.
Ballard, J. G. RUSHING TO PARADISE (1999)
Five vowels in the right order occurred in the word ` facetious ".
Aird, Catherine A DEAD LIBERTY (1999)
To his credit, he didn't even try to answer any of my facetious questions.
Patricia Gaffney THE SAVING GRACES (1999)
(adjective)
Definition
joking, or trying to be amusing, esp. at inappropriate times
Are you going to listen or just make facetious remarks?
Synonyms
flippant
She dismissed it as a flippant comment.
funny
I'll tell you a funny story.
amusing
He had a great sense of humour and could be very amusing.
witty
one of those genuinely witty speakers to whom one could listen for hours
merry
humorous
a humorous magazine
playful
They tumbled around like playful children.
pleasant
frivolous
I was a bit too frivolous to be a doctor.
tongue in cheek
comical
The whole situation suddenly struck her as being comical.
jesting
droll
The band have a droll sense of humour.
jocular
I was in a less jocular mood than usual.
waggish
unserious
jocose (old-fashioned)
His conversation is carefully maintained at a level of jocose pomposity.