different between fatuous vs facetious

English

Etymology

From Latin fatuus (“foolish, silly, simple”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?fæt.ju.?s/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /?fæt?.u.?s/

Adjective

fatuous (comparative more fatuous, superlative most fatuous)

1. Obnoxiously stupid, vacantly silly, content in one's foolishness.
   • 2004, Frank Tallis, Love Sick: Love as a Mental Illness (page 46)

     A fatuous love affair can easily result in a fatuous marriage. A couple who hardly know each other and, indeed, may not even really like each other, make a commitment that has little chance of being honoured.

Synonyms

• (obnoxiously stupid): childish, imbecilic, inane, insipid, puerile

Related terms

• fatuity
• fatuously
• fatuousness
• infatuate

Translations

English

Etymology

From French facétieux, from Latin fac?tia (“jest, wit, humor”), from fac?tus (“witty, jocose, facetious”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /f??si???s/
• Rhymes: -i???s
• Hyphenation: fa?ce?tious

Adjective

facetious (comparative more facetious, superlative most facetious)

1. Treating serious issues with (often deliberately) inappropriate humour; flippant.
2. Pleasantly humorous; jocular.

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:witty

Derived terms

Translations

Further reading

• facetious in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• facetious in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• facetious at OneLook Dictionary Search