facile

[fas-il, -ahyl]

adjective

1. moving, acting, working, proceeding, etc., with ease, sometimes with superficiality.

   facile fingers; a facile mind.

   Synonyms: glib, fluent, flowing, smooth

2. easily done, performed, used, etc..

   a facile victory; a facile method.

   Synonyms: superficial

3. easy or unconstrained, as manners or persons.

   Synonyms: urbane, suave, bland

4. affable, agreeable, or complaisant; easily influenced.

   a facile temperament; facile people.

facile

/ ˈfæsaɪl /

adjective

1. easy to perform or achieve

2. working or moving easily or smoothly

3. without depth; superficial

   a facile solution

4. archaic,  relaxed in manner; easygoing

Other Word Forms

• facilely adverb
• facileness noun
• overfacile adjective
• overfacilely adverb
• unfacile adjective
• unfacilely adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of facile¹

1475–85; < Latin facilis that can be done, easy, equivalent to fac ( ere ) to do, make + -ilis -ile

Word History and Origins

Origin of facile¹

C15: from Latin facilis easy, from facere to do

Example Sentences

It’s also expedient and facile, sparing the party from looking inward and doing the truly hard work it faces.

From Los Angeles Times

California had exported to other states the facile low-tax policies of Howard Jarvis and Ronald Reagan’s view of government as “the problem, not the solution.”

From Los Angeles Times

Neither do facile excuses like “economic anxiety” cut it.

From Salon

We can easily imagine the real Scorsese has had to face similar ordeals with facile Hollywood suits.

From Los Angeles Times

While well-intended and admiring, the biography often proves facile, showing difficulty reckoning with Demme’s oeuvre and its deeper political and cinematic lessons.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• effortless 
• glib 
• hasty