1
as in superficial
having or showing a lack of depth of understanding or character
the movie takes a facile look at what happens when teens enter into serious romantic relationships
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in easy
involving minimal difficulty or effort
a few early facile victories misled the country into thinking that the war would be short and relatively painless
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of facile
Demonizing the delta smelt was — and is — a way to make facile points to uninformed voters by suggesting that the interests of what appears to be an unimportant fish are somehow elevated above those of human residents.
—
Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 14 Jan. 2025
Coppola’s emphasis on white protagonist Cesar is, in Hollywood liberal terms, facile and archaic.
—Armond White, National Review, 4 Oct. 2024
The benefit of all of this, of course, is a shift toward recognizing, at least in the zeitgeist, the seemingly facile truth: that moms have identities and desires beyond being moms.
—Cady Lang, TIME, 24 May 2024
The commentary on social media is mostly facile, although a humiliating trick played on Nikki is devilishly funny and some of the flashback-recap sequences make zippy use of online video.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 25 Jan. 2024
See All Example Sentences for facile
Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 14 Jan. 2025
Coppola’s emphasis on white protagonist Cesar is, in Hollywood liberal terms, facile and archaic.
—Armond White, National Review, 4 Oct. 2024
The benefit of all of this, of course, is a shift toward recognizing, at least in the zeitgeist, the seemingly facile truth: that moms have identities and desires beyond being moms.
—Cady Lang, TIME, 24 May 2024
The commentary on social media is mostly facile, although a humiliating trick played on Nikki is devilishly funny and some of the flashback-recap sequences make zippy use of online video.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 25 Jan. 2024
See All Example Sentences for facile
Recent Examples of Synonyms for facile
Adjective
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Strong applications are not built on superficial prestige or last-minute resume padding.—
Liz Doe Stone,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
-
See, this is the problem with our superficial Instagram culture.—
Emily Zemler,
Rolling Stone,
9 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The bipartisan vote signals that the final passage will likely be easy to gain as the upper chamber looks to pass the defense bill this month.—
Rachel Schilke,
The Washington Examiner,
10 Sep. 2025
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Perhaps the easiest was an airplane flying overhead.—
Nola Taylor Tillman,
Space.com,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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These mums feature small flowers that grow in a dome shape and have stolons, or shallow runners, at their base.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
12 Sep. 2025
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O’Steen bludgeoned Marissa Grimes, dug a shallow grave for her under his house in west Fort Worth and for 10 days lived above where police later sawed open the floor to expose Grimes’ decomposing 135-pound body, prosecutors have argued that the evidence shows.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
12 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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With just a few chairs, a handful of tables and a simple tent, the setting was intimate but filled with love and intention.—
Tereza Shkurtaj,
PEOPLE,
7 Sep. 2025
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And one of these, for those of us accustomed to British conventions but who follow the game in continental Europe, is the simple passage of time.—
Michael Cox,
New York Times,
6 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The trio, working in tandem with a blend of 30 essential oils and extracts, comes together to condition hair follicles, relieve dry scalp, smooth split ends, and enhance hair elasticity.—
Kiana Murden,
Vogue,
12 Sep. 2025
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The smooth leather finish gives a polished look that can easily be dressed up or down.—
Melony Forcier,
Travel + Leisure,
12 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The efficiency and immediacy of space medicine may well influence healthcare innovation far beyond orbit, inspiring systems that are faster, cheaper, and more accessible.—
Bernard Marr,
Forbes.com,
12 Sep. 2025
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But because the signals are so faint, they can be drowned out by cheap jammers or replaced by counterfeit ones.—
Kapil Kajal,
Interesting Engineering,
11 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Facile.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/facile. Accessed 14 Sep. 2025.
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