facade

noun

fə-ˈsäd How to pronounce facade (audio)
variants also façade
Definition of facadenext
1
as in front
a forward part or surface all of the stores in the mall have facades that are in keeping with the style of a 19th-century American village

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in pretense
a display of emotion or behavior that is insincere or intended to deceive his interest in acting is just a facade—he joined the drama club to meet girls

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in veneer
a deceptively attractive external appearance the company's facade of success collapsed when it was revealed that its financial officers had been cooking the books for years

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of facade Morris Adjmi Architects designed the building, which stands out with its unique concrete diagrid facade, as well as the interiors. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Oct. 2026 On the Whitney’s facade, there’s a version of Lichtenstein’s mural for the 1963 New York World’s Fair Mural, a large version of the painting Girl in Window. — Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 7 Oct. 2026 The tower’s shimmering façade and setback terraces may draw the eye upward, but its elegance is rooted in a flower found in the local landscape. — Kieron Marchese, Architectural Digest, 6 Oct. 2026 After slogans criticizing the Sacramento State administration appeared in chalk on the facade of a 64-year-old campus building earlier this week, at least one student is now facing potential disciplinary action. — Tarini Mehta, Sacbee.com, 3 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for facade
Recent Examples of Synonyms for facade
  1. front
  2. pretense
  3. veneer
  4. guise
  5. gloss
  6. show
  7. pose
  8. act
Noun
  • Stamos and Christian Love helped Mike to his feet, and then, on either side of him, held his arms aloft in the air in a triumphant pose, until the curtains closed in front of them.
    — Chris Willman, Variety, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Jones has become known for hosting some of the biggest names in Southern art, including Tara Stallworth Lee, Daniel José Carr, Renee Hanan Plata, and William Dooley, at Room 412, his tiny gallery space at the front of his apartment.
    — Leslie Pariseau, Condé Nast Traveler, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of front
Noun
  • The staff is incredibly friendly and helpful—don't expect any pretense here, just genuine (and enjoyable) engagement.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Tom’s frugality also lured Nancy into the business on the pretense of spending more time together.
    — Tim Graham, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of pretense
Noun
  • Healthy teeth are ground down to nubs to make room for veneers.
    — Danielle Pergament, Allure, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Daley also warns buyers to look out for furniture with veneers which often peel or chip off and can’t be repaired.
    — Felicia Feaster, Martha Stewart, 27 Sep. 2026
Definition of veneer
Noun
  • But unlike Backrooms, SCP Foundation has always been more centralized to this one website, and every subsequent SCP Foundation work has always fallen under the guise of the Creative Commons license, something the Backrooms creepypasta never did.
    — Brian Welk, IndieWire, 24 Sep. 2026
  • As critics such as Antonio Candido have remarked, regionalism was at bottom an attempt to render Latin American reality in its dominant rural guise.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of guise
Noun
  • Both also received high-gloss visual treatments, the former starring Nicole Kidman and the latter narrated by Sir Ian McKellen, aka Gandalf.
    — Walden Green, Pitchfork, 9 Oct. 2026
  • There will always be people who prefer a traditional lipstick over a gloss or whatever gloss-balm-stain fusion is trending.
    — Kara Nesvig, Allure, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of gloss
Noun
  • At the Abroms-Engel Institute for the Visual Arts at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, curator John Fields has built a renowned space for visual art, attracting a kaleidoscope of artists and shows over the course of his 12-year tenure.
    — Leslie Pariseau, Condé Nast Traveler, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Social media and the rise of influencers transformed the streets outside the shows into a stage of their own.
    — Alex Badia, Footwear News, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of show
Noun
  • On social media, viewers immediately marveled at Rosalía’s ability to deliver her usual powerful vocals during the first song while striking the pose — and some wondered if she was somehow being propped up through unseen means.
    — Chris Willman, Variety, 11 Oct. 2026
  • So Sherman bought a bunch of funky fabric and cheap rhinestone jewelry and recreated the poses herself, as only the great artist of our postmodern age could.
    — Nate Freeman, Vanity Fair, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of pose
Noun
  • At one point, Soulan points out that the crime of fuel-smuggling is minor compared to the barons profiting off the very same — and shouldn’t the motivation, the practical outcome of the act, count for something?
    — Kambole Campbell, Variety, 11 Oct. 2026
  • The high-wire act that followed—in which performers had to make these bland conceits into something funny without, ostensibly, preparing any jokes in advance—introduced a tension that made sketch shows feel sedate and uneven by comparison.
    — Dan Brooks, New Yorker, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of act

Browse Nearby Words

fabulousness
facade
facades
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Facade.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/facade. Accessed 14 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on facade

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about facade

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9
See More

Popular

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
a cup of tea and a golf ball on tee side by side
Quiz: Sounds Like... Choose the word that sounds like it fits the clue...
See All