facetiously

English

WOTD – 26 November 2007

Etymology

From facetious +‎ -ly.

Pronunciation

  • (Received Pronunciation, General American) IPA(key): /fəˈsiːʃəsli/
  • Audio (US):(file)
  • Hyphenation: fa‧ce‧tious‧ly

Adverb

facetiously (comparative more facetiously, superlative most facetiously)

  1. In a facetious or flippant manner; in a manner that treats serious issues with deliberately inappropriate humor.
    • 2010 May 31, Intelligent Design Parodies: Flying Spaghetti Monster, Books LLC, →ISBN:
      Pirates are revered as the original Pastafarians, and Pastafarians facetiously assert that a steady decline in the number of pirates has resulted in a significant rise in global temperature.
    • 2026 January 15, Nikki McCann Ramirez, “Trump Says U.S. ‘Shouldn’t Even Have an Election’ as He Threatens Insurrection Act”, in Rolling Stone‎[1], archived from the original on 15 January 2026:
      White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt was asked on Thursday about Trump suggesting multiple times that the midterms should be canceled. She claimed Trump was just “speaking facetiously,” and “simply joking.”
  2. (dated) In a pleasantly humorous or playful fashion.

Synonyms

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