Word
facile
US/ˈfæsəɫ/
UK/fˈæsaɪl/
Definition
adj. too easy or too simple, so it does not feel serious or thoughtful. You use it for answers or wins that look quick but miss the real difficulty.
adj. achieved with little effort or presented without serious thought or depth. Often describes explanations, solutions, or victories that appear easy while ignoring complexity.
Examples
“He gives a facile answer to every hard question.”
“The manager offers a facile solution to the staffing crisis without addressing pay or workload.”
“The critic dismissed the novel's facile ending, where years of moral conflict dissolve into a sudden reconciliation that feels unearned.”
Examples
simple
“He gives a facile answer to every hard question.”
contextual
“The manager offers a facile solution to the staffing crisis without addressing pay or workload.”
complex
“The critic dismissed the novel's facile ending, where years of moral conflict dissolve into a sudden reconciliation that feels unearned.”
Collocations
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “facile” in context.
Verb
01. appear facile
“His arguments appear facile without deeper evidence.”
verb + adj
02. condemn as facile
“Reviewers condemned the report as facile and misleading.”
verb + as + adj
03. consider facile
“Many voters considered the promise facile and unrealistic.”
verb + adj
04. dismiss as facile
“Critics dismissed his proposal as facile and poorly researched.”
verb + as + adj
Adjective
05. facile answer
“There is no facile answer to the problem of climate migration.”
adj + noun
06. facile assumption
“It is a facile assumption that wealth alone guarantees happiness.”
adj + noun
07. facile explanation
“The documentary offers a facile explanation for a complex war.”
adj + noun
08. facile victory
“The champion cruised to a facile victory in under an hour.”
adj + noun
Noun
09. facile disregard for
“Her facile disregard for detail weakened the argument.”
adj + noun + prep
10. facile generalization about
“The essay relies on a facile generalization about teenagers.”
adj + noun + prep
11. facile solution to
“He proposed a facile solution to urban poverty.”
adj + noun + prep
12. dismiss as too facile
“Analysts dismissed the plan as too facile to succeed.”
Usage
Typically placed before the noun it modifies; often carries a critical tone.
Real-World Examples
“But this franticness can’t disguise that it’s a dopey and facile thriller that, despite capable performances, plumbs neither its characters’ depths nor hits thematic pay dirt.” “But the engineer in me sees that as facile lip service, because building a nontrivial, production-grade app without grindsome years of real-world software engineering experience is a tall order.” Etymology
Borrowed from Middle French facile, from Latin facilis (“easy to do, easy, doable”), from Latin facere (“to do, make”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁- (“to do, put”) Compare Spanish fácil (“easy”). First use appears c. 1484 in a translation by William Caxton.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Word family
NOUN
ADJECTIVE
Domain
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.C1 AdvancedIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.7.0–8.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 5.0–5.595–113TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.945–990
- Frequency
- Occasional
- Level
- C1 · Advanced
- Updated
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