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

For my SCOTUSblog author page, I had a friend take my picture in front of the brick facade at the old National Capital YMCA, because I was a 22-year-old recent college graduate during the Great Recession, and needed the several hundred dollars it would have cost to get a professional headshot for rent.

From Slate

"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

That got the anti-Obama base fired up, while presenting a pseudo-serious facade to the broader public.

From Salon

In the case of Joyce, she can put on a bright shiny façade, but at home she is slamming doors and crying into her pillow out of frustration.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• color
• exterior
• front
• veneer