I read a post this morning from one of my many writing groups, which said something along the lines of, "My search history is made up of me constantly looking up words that I use all of the time but don't actually know the meaning to." I laughed aloud because the struggle is really there and showed it to my husband. My mind immediately went to the word, facetious. When I told him, he laughed and admitted he didn't know the definition or even know how to spell it - thus being unable to look it up.
So, together, we researched this word and found that oftentimes it is used to replace the word, sarcastic when in actuality, it has a completely different meaning.
Facetious | fə-ˈsē-shəs: adjective: joking or jesting, often inappropriately, waggish; meant to be humorous or funny, not serious
As a writer, I've often found myself using this word in the place of sarcasm, though typically the funnier side of it. To say a person has a facetious manner could mean they make comments that can come across as poking fun at someone else. In truth, I think my husband wins at the master game of being facetious with the ultimate witty puns that spill out at any given moment in a day.
Facetious | fəˈsiː.ʃəs: adjective: not serious about a serious subject, in an attempt to be funny or appear clever
Now, by contrast, sarcasm is more designed to express the irony of a situation or something that a person said. In many ways, it is meant to cut into a person or express frustration at a position someone is in. I often use sarcasm on hard days when my pain is really bad, though I am working hard on breaking that habit. In many ways, sarcasm is never a good habit.
Sarcasm | sär-ˌka-zəm: noun: a sharp and often satirical or ironic utterance designed to cut or give pain; a mode of satirical wit depending for its effect on bitter, caustic, and often ironic language that is usually directed against an individual
I truly believe that knowing the difference between the use of sarcastic and facetious attitudes will give creative writers a greater feel for their characters. And since I didn't see a single utterance of facetious anywhere in the books I have downloaded on my kindle, I'll use one of my own characters as an example.
"Well," Kaya said with facetious cheer, "at least we aren't dead yet." The fiery eyes of the dragon gazed at her quizzically as she posed before the swarming Ashlands, its nostrils flaring in dismay.
-Sleeping Through Fire - First Draft
By contrast, sarcasm is a little blunter in its use.
“I look worse than I am, Mauras,” Aki said plainly before taking a deep breath. “I will let Uhdyr heal some of my harsher injuries before we escape.”
“You speak of escape as if it will be easy.” Mauras sounded cynical, almost sarcastic.
-A Heart in Silver Flames - First Draft
I had a lot of fun learning the acute differences between these words and how they are often misused, and personally, I know I'll be using this knowledge to my advantage moving forward. Tomorrow, we'll be learning about another amazing word to describe a person's behavior and how they come across to others. Until then, though, happy reading!
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