facade

or fa·çade

[ fuh-sahd, fa- ]

noun

1. Architecture.
   1. the front of a building, especially an imposing or decorative one.
   2. any side of a building facing a public way or space and finished accordingly.
2. a superficial appearance or illusion of something:

   They managed somehow to maintain a facade of wealth.

façade

/ fəˈsɑːd; fæ- /

noun

1. the face of a building, esp the main front
2. a front or outer appearance, esp a deceptive one

Word History and Origins

Origin of facade¹

First recorded in 1650–60; from French, from Upper Italian faciada, Italian facciata, equivalent to facci(a) face + -ata -ade ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of facade¹

C17: from French, from Italian facciata , from faccia face

Example Sentences

"The facade may be solid, but behind it lies a field of ruins."

From BBC

The front organization functions both ways: as the facade of the totalitarian movement to the nontotalitarian world, and as the facade of this world to the inner hierarchy of the movement.

From Salon

Pictures from the scene in Place de Coimbra, an area of the city known for drug-related crimes, showed the restaurant's facade riddled with bullet holes.

From BBC

Nearly as illuminating as the interview are the letters, diary entries and other materials from Stewart shared from her personal archive, which capture the fiery emotion roiling beneath her icy facade.

From Los Angeles Times

While Ohtani maintained a calm facade, his teammates were clearly uplifted by his presence.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• color
• exterior
• front
• veneer

More About Facade

What does facade mean?

A facade is the front of a building or a side that faces a public area.

Facade is used literally to describe a decorative, showy, or onrate piece of architecture that frames the front of a building, as in The architect who designed this building used a showy facade on it to help it stand out from nearby buildings.

A facade is also a superficial appearance or an illusion, which can be literal or figurative. If a movie star wears a dark hoodie and sunglasses so they won’t be recognized by the press, they are wearing a literal facade. If that movie star acts completely different from who they actually are or puts on an alternate personality in order to trick or convince people of something, that is a figurative facade.

Example: He continually lied to keep up his facade until the whole thing stumbled out of control.

Where does facade come from?

The first records of the term facade come from the mid-1600s. It ultimately comes from the Italian faccia, meaning “face,” and –ata, an ending that denotes a process or action. The wall of a building is called its face, and in theater, a character or portrayal is often called a face.

Facade can also be spelled façade. That squiggly shape under the c is called a cedilla and is used in French and Portuguese to indicate that the c should be pronounced like an s.

Did you know … ?

What are some other forms related to facade?

• facadism (noun)

What are some synonyms for facade?

• color
• exterior
• front
• veneer

What are some words that share a root or word element with facade? 

• facadism

What are some words that often get used in discussing facade?

• décor
• face
• lies
• ornate
• wall

How is facade used in real life?

In casual conversation, facade is often used figuratively to describe something that is fake or an illusion.

authenticity is so beautiful. please be genuine. drop the facade. the real you is enough.

— queen quen (@quenblackwell) July 9, 2018

Brick Facade for a bookstore in Korea pic.twitter.com/H9nlmfRSol

— Bizarre Buildings (@BizarreBuiIding) November 29, 2021

“behind the facade of your life, there is something beautiful and eternal happening”

— Dove Cameron (@DoveCameron) January 25, 2018

 

Try using facade!

Which of the following is NOT a synonym for facade?

A. exterior
B. interior
C. front
D. veneer