Facetious

 WORD OF THE DAY

facetious / adjective / fuh-SEE-shuss

Definition
1a: joking or jesting often inappropriately
1b: waggish
2a: meant to be humorous or funny
2b: not serious

Examples
"Forget the license to kill. James Bond fanatics carry a license to argue about everything. Who's the best Bond? Well, Connery. Obviously. But Daniel Craig's a close second, many believe. And the other screen Bonds have their admirers, despite the lesser movies' unevenness or facetious gadgetry."
— Michael Phillips, The Chicago Tribune, 8 Oct. 2021

Nor was Liebling seriously asserting that his facetious bit of investigation into Tin Pan Alley history constituted a refutation of Sartre's philosophy.
— Raymond Sokolov, Wayward Reporter, 1980

Did You Know?
Facetious—which puzzle fans know is one of the few English words containing the vowels "a, e, i, o, u" in order—comes from French facetieux, which traces to the Latin word facētia, meaning "cleverness or wit." In English, facetiae refers to "witty or humorous writings or sayings."
It is not inherently insulting to say that someone is being facetious (although it may imply dubious or ill-timed attempts at wit or humor). The word comes from the Latin facetia, meaning "jest."
Facetious may be defined as "joking or jesting often inappropriately" or "not serious." Sarcastic, on the other hand, while still concerned with humor, tends to imply a more caustic or biting quality that is often intended to cause pain.
Facetious is an adjective ("not serious," "waggish"), while facetiousness is a noun ("the state or quality of being facetious"). The adverb form is facetiously.