   [fuh-see-shuhs] Â
adjective
1. not meant to be taken seriously or literally: a facetious remark.
2. amusing; humorous.
3. lacking serious intent; concerned with something nonessential, amusing, or frivolous: a facetious person.
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Not to be confused with
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sar·casm
   [sahr-kaz-uhm] Â
noun
1. harsh or bitter derision or irony.
2. a sharply ironical taunt; sneering or cutting remark: a review full of sarcasms.
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These are frequently used interchangeably by people who don’t appreciate the subtle but significant difference between them. Being facetious has a kinder gentler intent meant usually to amuse, whereas sarcasm has inherent to its nature the intent to wound.
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One of the proudest moments of my life occurred one afternoon when I went to fetch Hodie from school. She was standing amidst a group of her peers with a perturbed look on her face. There seemed to be a bit of a squabble going on so I approached with ears open to see if I needed to intervene. Finally Hodie pipes up and says:
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“Okay, I know. You keep saying that she was being sarcastic, but really, she was just being facetious.”
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Parental joy overload.
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