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Dictionary

Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

facetiously en · ADV

Pronunciation

  • (US) audio
  • /fəˈsiːʃəsli/ (General-American, Received-Pronunciation)

Etymology

Etymology tree English facetious Middle English -ly English -ly English facetiously From facetious + -ly.

Meanings

  1. In a facetious or flippant manner; in a manner that treats serious issues with deliberately inappropriate humor.
    • 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.” 2026 January 15, Nikki McCann Ramirez, “Trump Says U.S. ‘Shouldn’t Even Have an Election’ as He Threatens Insurrection Act”, in Rolling Stone, archived from the original on 15 Jan 2026:
    • 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. 2010 May 31, Intelligent Design Parodies: Flying Spaghetti Monster, Books LLC, →ISBN:
  2. (dated) In a pleasantly humorous or playful fashion.

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
more facetiously Degree=Cmp lexicographic
most facetiously Degree=Sup lexicographic

Relateds

facetious · facetiousness

Synonyms

humorously (in a pleasantly humorous fashion) · jocularly (in a pleasantly humorous fashion) · playfully (in a pleasantly humorous fashion) · flippantly (with inappropriate humor)