Illustration of facade
- facade 1
variants
or less commonly façade
1
: the front of a building
also
: any face of a building given special architectural treatment
a brick facade
the museum's east facade
2
: a false, superficial, or artificial appearance or effect
tried to preserve the facade of a happy marriage
These individuals have a deep understanding of who they are and what they stand for. They're grounded in reality and they don't feel the need to pretend or put on a façade for others.—
Mia Zhang
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A Brief History of Facade
Facade is thought to have come to English from the Vulgar Latin facia, meaning “face.” Along the way it passed through both Italian, as faccia, and French, as façade. The earliest meaning of the word in English was in reference to the front portion of a building, its “face,” so to speak (and face itself is sometimes used to describe this part of a structure as well). Somewhere along the way facade took on a figurative sense, referring to a way of behaving or appearing that gives other people a false idea of your true feelings or situation. This is similar to the figurative use of veneer, which originally had the simple meaning of a thin layer of wood that was used to cover something, and now may also refer to a sort of deceptive behavior that masks one’s actual feelings (as in, “he had a thin veneer of politeness”).
Examples of facade in a Sentence
"I mean, don't you find yourself being extra careful about what you say and how you say it? As if you have to be this phony, put on a facade, because you don't want to give them the wrong impression?"
—Terry McMillan, Waiting to Exhale, 1992
When I watched him in motion picture roles after the war, I knew there was something of honest substance behind that acting façade.
—Andrew A. Rooney, And More by Andy Rooney, (1979) 1982
… but his magic power of concentration was gone. All the façades he built up between himself and his desperate love never entirely hid it.
—May Sarton, Shadow of a Man, 1950
the facade of the bank
the windowless façade of the skyscraper
They were trying to preserve the facade of a happy marriage.
I could sense the hostility lurking behind her polite facade.
Recent Examples on the Web
Google Cloud is advertising its own event aimed at helping Chinese firms expand globally, with a rare building-sized poster on the facade of a hotel overlooking downtown Beijing’s main thoroughfare.
—Evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 14 Jan. 2026
Tokyo Disneyland’s Space Mountain is getting a $400 million makeover with a facade featuring neon blue undulating curves.
—Brady MacDonald, Oc Register, 13 Jan. 2026
The color palette was inspired by the vibrant facades of Buenos Aires’ La Boca neighborhood, evolving from pure white to cobalt blue, and punctuated with shades of pink.
—Sandra Salibian, Footwear News, 13 Jan. 2026
The building’s facade features a name at the top that lists both the Palisades and Venice as locations.
—Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 12 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for facade
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Cite this Entry
“Facade.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/facade. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.
Kids Definition
facade
noun
fa·cade
variants
also façade
1
: the face or front of a building
2
: a false or misleading appearance
a facade of wealth
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