facile
English
Etymology
Borrowed from Middle French facile, from Latin facilis (“easy to do, easy, doable”), from faciō (“I do, make”). Compare Spanish Spanish fácil ("easy").
Pronunciation
- (Received Pronunciation) enPR: făsʹīl IPA(key): /ˈfæs.aɪl/
Audio (Southern England) (file)
- (General American) enPR: făʹsəl IPA(key): /ˈfæ.səl/
- (Scotland) IPA(key): /ˈfä.sʌɪl/
- Rhymes: -æsəl
Adjective
facile (comparative more facile, superlative most facile)
- Easy, now especially in a disparaging sense; contemptibly easy. [from 15th c.]
- 1624, Democritus Junior [pseudonym; Robert Burton], The Anatomy of Melancholy: […], 2nd edition, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Printed by John Lichfield and James Short, for Henry Cripps, OCLC 54573970:, vol.I, New York, 2001, p.243:
- as he that is benumbed with cold sits shaking, that might relieve himself with a little exercise or stirring, do they complain, but will not use the facile and ready means to do themselves good […].
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- (now rare) Amiable, flexible, easy to get along with. [from 16th c.]
- His facile disposition made him many friends.
- Effortless, fluent (of work, abilities etc.). [from 17th c.]
- 1932, Duff Cooper, Talleyrand, Folio Society 2010, p. 54:
- we can learn the impression that he made upon a stranger and a foreigner at this period, thanks to the facile pen of Fannu Burney.
- 1940 July, “Railway Literature: The History of Bradshaw. By G. Royde Smith. London: Henry Blacklock & Co., Bradshaw House, Surrey Street, Strand, W.C.2; [...] 76pp. Illustrated. Price 3s. 6d. net.”, in Railway Magazine, page 432:
- The centenary of Bradshaw has proved further scope in the railway field for his facile pen to be devoted to an officially-sponsored work, and the "most famous guide in the world" is fortunate in its choice of a biographer.
- 1974, Graham Greene, The Honorary Consul, Pocket Books, New York, p.54:
- "Discipline," Jorge Julio Saavedra was repeating, "is more necessary to me than to other more facile writers.
- 1990, Peter Hopkirk, The Great Game, Folio Society 2010, p. 372:
- A facile and persuasive writer, he also turned out countless newspaper articles on Russian aims in Central Asia and how best these could be thwarted.
- 1932, Duff Cooper, Talleyrand, Folio Society 2010, p. 54:
- Lazy, simplistic (especially of explanations, discussions etc.). [from 19th c.]
- 2012, Chris Huhne, The Guardian, 3 May 2012:
- There is a facile view that our green commitments – to tackling climate change, avoiding air and water pollution, protecting natural habitats – are an obstacle to growth. The message of the commodity markets is surely different.
- 2012, Chris Huhne, The Guardian, 3 May 2012:
- (chemistry) Of a reaction or other process, taking place readily.
- Decarboxylation of beta-keto acids is facile...
Synonyms
- (skillful): See also Thesaurus:skillful
Related terms
- facilitation
- facilitative
- facilitate
- facilitator
- facilitatory
- facility
Translations
Easy, taking minimal effort
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Amiable, flexible, easy to get along with
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- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked
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Further reading
- facile in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
- facile in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911
- facile at OneLook Dictionary Search
Anagrams
- fecial
Esperanto
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /faˈtsi.le/
Audio (file)
Adverb
facile
- easily
Antonyms
- malfacile (“with difficulty”)
Related terms
- facila (“easy”)
- facili (“to be easy”)
French
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin facilis (“easy”), from faciō (“I do, make”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /fa.sil/
Audio (France, Paris) (file) - Homophone: faciles
- Hyphenation: fa‧cile
Adjective
facile (plural faciles)
- easy, simple
- Il n'est pas facile de vivre avec le diabète. ― It is not easy to live with diabetes.
- Il est facile à comprendre. ― He is easy to understand.
- 2020, “Couvre-feu : le désarroi des restaurateurs français”, in France 24:
- "Certes, ce n'est pas facile d'avoir 20 ans en 2020", concède Frank Delvau, reprenant l'expression utilisée par Emmanuel Macron, la veille.
- "Certainly, it's not easy to be twenty years old in 2020," Frank Delvau conceded, picking up the expression used by Emmanuel Macron the day before.
- Antonym: difficile (“difficult”)
- (derogatory, chiefly of women) easy, promiscuous (consenting readily to sex)
- une fille facile ― an easy lay, a trollop
Usage notes
The preposition de is used with an impersonal subject, and à with a non-impersonal one.
Derived terms
- avoir la gâchette facile
- plus facile à dire qu'à faire
Related terms
- faire
Further reading
- “facile”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
Anagrams
- ficela
Ido
Adverb
facile
- easily
Related terms
- facila
Interlingua
Adjective
facile (comparative plus facile, superlative le plus facile)
- easy
Antonyms
- difficile
Italian
Etymology
Probably borrowed from Latin facilis (“easy”), from faciō (“to do, make”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈfa.t͡ʃi.le/
Audio (file) - Rhymes: -atʃile
- Hyphenation: fà‧ci‧le
Adjective
facile (plural facili, superlative facilissimo)
- easy
- cosy
- effortless
Derived terms
- facilmente
Related terms
- facilità
- facilitare
- facilone
- fare
Anagrams
- cefali, faleci, fecali
Latin
Etymology 1
From the neuter accusative case form of facilis.
Alternative forms
- facul (anteclass.)
Adverb
facile (comparative facilius, superlative facillimē)
- easily
- Synonym: faciliter
- Antonyms: difficilē, difficulter, difficiliter, vix, aegre
Adjective
facile
- nominative/accusative/vocative neuter singular of facilis
References
- “facile”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- “facile”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
- Carl Meißner; Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book, London: Macmillan and Co.
- an easy, fluent style: expedita et facile currens oratio
- that is self-evident, goes without saying: hoc facile intellegi potest
- an easy, fluent style: expedita et facile currens oratio
Middle French
Etymology
1441, borrowed from Latin facilis[1].
Adjective
facile m or f (plural faciles)
- easy (not difficult)
References
- Etymology and history of “facile”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.