1
: the front of a building
also : any face of a building given special architectural treatment
a museum's east facade
2
: a false, superficial, or artificial appearance or effect
tried to preserve the facade of a happy marriage
Illustration of facade
- facade 1
Did you know?
Facade is thought to have come to English from the Vulgar Latin facia, meaning “face.” Along the way it passed through both Italian, as faccia, and French, as façade. The earliest meaning of the word in English was in reference to the front portion of a building, its “face,” so to speak (and face itself is sometimes used to describe this part of a structure as well). Somewhere along the way facade took on a figurative sense, referring to a way of behaving or appearing that gives other people a false idea of your true feelings or situation. This is similar to the figurative use of veneer, which originally had the simple meaning of a thin layer of wood that was used to cover something, and now may also refer to a sort of deceptive behavior that masks one’s actual feelings (as in, “he had a thin veneer of politeness”).
Synonyms
Example Sentences
"I mean, don't you find yourself being extra careful about what you say and how you say it? As if you have to be this phony, put on a facade, because you don't want to give them the wrong impression?" Terry McMillan, Waiting to Exhale, 1992 When I watched him in motion picture roles after the war, I knew there was something of honest substance behind that acting façade. Andrew A. Rooney, And More by Andy Rooney, (1979) 1982 … but his magic power of concentration was gone. All the façades he built up between himself and his desperate love never entirely hid it. May Sarton, Shadow of a Man, 1950 the facade of the bank the windowless façade of the skyscraper They were trying to preserve the facade of a happy marriage. I could sense the hostility lurking behind her polite facade. See More
Recent Examples on the Web Though in plain sight, victims are often invisible, fearfully denying their situation and hiding behind the facade of a happy home. Jennifer O'neill, Good Housekeeping, 26 Oct. 2022 Suddenly, investment started coming in, highways were built, and so there was a facade of infrastructure and prosperity for a while. Armani Syed, Time, 19 Oct. 2022 All that wealth is cleverly disguised behind a facade of pickup trucks and jeans. CBS News, 16 Oct. 2022 Behind that facade, though, are darker secrets from her past. Benjamin Vanhoose, Peoplemag, 6 Sep. 2022 More rare in the upper echelons of national power in Washington is his humble side, which those who know him say is not a facade. David Montgomery, Washington Post, 22 Aug. 2022 Equality is a facade, even among regional conference partners. Nathan Baird, cleveland, 1 July 2022 But Enron’s biggest problem was that its success was dependent on an image that was partly a facade. WSJ, 2 Nov. 2021 Treinen wondered if the entire effort was a facade or a sincere crackdown, suggested that umpires inspect pitchers in the dugout instead of in front of everyone, and questioned if hitters were eyed with the same rigor on the rules applying to them. New York Times, 25 June 2021 See More
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'facade.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Word History
Etymology
borrowed from French, going back to Middle French fassade, borrowed from Italian facciata, from faccia "face" (going back to Vulgar Latin *facia) + -ata -ade — more at face entry 1
First Known Use
circa 1681, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of facade was circa 1681
Dictionary Entries Near facade
Cite this Entry
“Facade.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, //www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/facade. Accessed 17 Nov. 2022.
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Last Updated: 7 Nov 2022 - Updated example sentences
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