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facile | ˈfasʌɪl, ˈfasɪl | adjective 1 ignoring the true complexities of an issue; superficial: facile generalizations. • (of a person) having a superficial or

facile | ˈfasʌɪl, ˈfasɪl | adjective 1 ignoring the true complexities of an issue; superficial: facile generalizations. • (of a person) having a superficial or simplistic knowledge or approach: a man of facile and shallow intellect. 2 (especially of success in sport) easily achieved; effortless: a facile seven-lengths victory. I guess someone needs a better dictionary (this was sourced from Dictionary.app on MacOS, btw...)

lelanthran 5y ago
> facile | ˈfasʌɪl, ˈfasɪl | adjective 1 ignoring the true complexities of an issue; superficial: facile generalizations. • (of a person) having a superficial or simplistic knowledge or approach: a man of facile and shallow intellect. 2 (especially of success in sport) easily achieved; effortless: a facile seven-lengths victory. > > I guess someone needs a better dictionary (this was sourced from Dictionary.app on MacOS, btw...) I think you are reinforcing the authors point. That definition most certainly does not present a mental image of prose in which the best word is 'facile'. Instead it makes me think that 'facile' is almost indistinguishable from 'ignorant'. Compare that definition to the one from Websters 1913-1928 definition: Fac"ile (?) a. [L. facilis, prop., capable of being done or made, hence, facile, easy, fr. facere to make, do: cf. F. facile. Srr Fact, and cf. Faculty.] 1. Easy to be done or performed: not difficult; performable or attainable with little labor. *Order . . . will render the work facile and delightful.* Evelyn. 2. Easy to be surmounted or removed; easily conquerable; readily mastered. *The facile gates of hell too slightly barred.* Milton. 3. Easy of access or converse; mild; courteous; not haughty, austere, or distant; affable; complaisant. *I meant she should be courteous, facile, sweet.* B. Jonson. 4. Easily persuaded to good or bad; yielding; ductile to a fault; pliant; flexible. *Since Adam, and his facile consort Eve, Lost Paradise, deceived by me.* Milton. *This is treating Burns like a child, a person of so facile a disposition as not to be trusted without a keeper on the king's highway.* Prof. Wilson. 5. Ready; quick; expert; as, he is facile in expedients; he wields a facile pen. Which definition more accurately represents the word as it is used in prose? 'Facile' and 'delightful' go together quite well. 'Ignorant' and 'delightful' do not.
- boffinAudio 5y ago
  Indeed, this demonstrates that words are note code - their meaning changes with use over time, unlike software. We can certainly compare definitions and arrive at our own conclusions about the effectiveness of communication their usage imbues - but an omitted definition? We cannot argue over words that are not defined, whether by omission in literature (dictionaries) or by virtue of the reader being, to put it blunt, simply too lazy to check another dictionary ..
- avgcorrection 5y ago
  See also Spanish “fácil” which means “easy”. Some apparently less common senses that Merriam Webster gave me: - archaic : mild or pleasing in manner or disposition - ready, fluent - poised, assured So what’s a “facile piece of writing”? Something that was easy to write? Maybe too easy to write? Or easy to read? (Or too easy to read…) Well, something being easy is definitely an insult in the minds of pretentious people.
  - goblin89 5y ago
    Words are lossy. Thinking ambiguity can be removed if you only use common words is misguided. You will get writing that is bland and lacks nuance and you may limit the palette of what you can convey, but even then without a fixed exhaustive definition for every word there is ambiguity in shades of meaning. For example, what exactly does “common” mean above? “bland”? (writing is not a food, is it?) what precisely does it mean for writing to have “nuance”? and so on. It depends on overall style, but I generally enjoy writing that thoughtfully sprinkles around less common or even invented (DFW) words. It keeps me on my toes—human memory is not perfect, if I haven’t had to consult the dictionary in a while then my vocabulary must be degrading.
    - avgcorrection 5y ago
      > Thinking ambiguity can be removed if you only use common words is misguided. Overall, based on all of the comments in this subthread, it seems that “facile” is most often meant simply mean “shallow”… don’t use a fancy word where a simple one will suffice.
avgcorrection 5y ago
> [tl;dr: shallow] Exactly.

lelanthran 5y ago

> facile | ˈfasʌɪl, ˈfasɪl | adjective 1 ignoring the true complexities of an issue; superficial: facile generalizations. • (of a person) having a superficial or simplistic knowledge or approach: a man of facile and shallow intellect. 2 (especially of success in sport) easily achieved; effortless: a facile seven-lengths victory. > > I guess someone needs a better dictionary (this was sourced from Dictionary.app on MacOS, btw...) I think you are reinforcing the authors point. That definition most certainly does not present a mental image of prose in which the best word is 'facile'. Instead it makes me think that 'facile' is almost indistinguishable from 'ignorant'. Compare that definition to the one from Websters 1913-1928 definition: Fac"ile (?) a. [L. facilis, prop., capable of being done or made, hence, facile, easy, fr. facere to make, do: cf. F. facile. Srr Fact, and cf. Faculty.] 1. Easy to be done or performed: not difficult; performable or attainable with little labor. *Order . . . will render the work facile and delightful.* Evelyn. 2. Easy to be surmounted or removed; easily conquerable; readily mastered. *The facile gates of hell too slightly barred.* Milton. 3. Easy of access or converse; mild; courteous; not haughty, austere, or distant; affable; complaisant. *I meant she should be courteous, facile, sweet.* B. Jonson. 4. Easily persuaded to good or bad; yielding; ductile to a fault; pliant; flexible. *Since Adam, and his facile consort Eve, Lost Paradise, deceived by me.* Milton. *This is treating Burns like a child, a person of so facile a disposition as not to be trusted without a keeper on the king's highway.* Prof. Wilson. 5. Ready; quick; expert; as, he is facile in expedients; he wields a facile pen. Which definition more accurately represents the word as it is used in prose? 'Facile' and 'delightful' go together quite well. 'Ignorant' and 'delightful' do not.

boffinAudio 5y ago
Indeed, this demonstrates that words are note code - their meaning changes with use over time, unlike software. We can certainly compare definitions and arrive at our own conclusions about the effectiveness of communication their usage imbues - but an omitted definition? We cannot argue over words that are not defined, whether by omission in literature (dictionaries) or by virtue of the reader being, to put it blunt, simply too lazy to check another dictionary ..
avgcorrection 5y ago
See also Spanish “fácil” which means “easy”. Some apparently less common senses that Merriam Webster gave me: - archaic : mild or pleasing in manner or disposition - ready, fluent - poised, assured So what’s a “facile piece of writing”? Something that was easy to write? Maybe too easy to write? Or easy to read? (Or too easy to read…) Well, something being easy is definitely an insult in the minds of pretentious people.
- goblin89 5y ago
  Words are lossy. Thinking ambiguity can be removed if you only use common words is misguided. You will get writing that is bland and lacks nuance and you may limit the palette of what you can convey, but even then without a fixed exhaustive definition for every word there is ambiguity in shades of meaning. For example, what exactly does “common” mean above? “bland”? (writing is not a food, is it?) what precisely does it mean for writing to have “nuance”? and so on. It depends on overall style, but I generally enjoy writing that thoughtfully sprinkles around less common or even invented (DFW) words. It keeps me on my toes—human memory is not perfect, if I haven’t had to consult the dictionary in a while then my vocabulary must be degrading.
  - avgcorrection 5y ago
    > Thinking ambiguity can be removed if you only use common words is misguided. Overall, based on all of the comments in this subthread, it seems that “facile” is most often meant simply mean “shallow”… don’t use a fancy word where a simple one will suffice.

avgcorrection 5y ago

> [tl;dr: shallow] Exactly.