facades
Deceptive outward appearances
Facades is the plural of facade, the front face of a building, especially an ornamental one: The facades along Main Street date to the 1890s.
The figurative sense—an outward appearance concealing something different—extends naturally: Behind their cheerful facades, both families were struggling.
Also spelled façades, retaining the French cedilla.
Absurd or obvious pretense
- guiseExternal manner shown
- deceptionIntentional misleading of others
- duplicityDeliberate misleading behavior
- veneerDecorative outer layer
posturing · affectation · sham · artifice · insincerity · hypocrisy · masquerade · subterfuge
Outer protective layer
- veneerDecorative outer layer
- textureSurface tactile quality
- coatingApplied surface covering
- stuccoDecorative wall plaster
siding · finish · plaster · render · laminate · sheathing · overlay · glaze
Height above reference point
- claddingOuter protective layer
- exteriorOuter portion
- storefrontRetail facade facing street
- stuccoDecorative wall plaster
brickwork · masonry · cornice · balustrade · portico · colonnade · pediment · pilaster
charade
Absurd or obvious pretense
- guiseExternal manner shown
- deceptionIntentional misleading of others
- duplicityDeliberate misleading behavior
veneer · posturing · affectation · sham · artifice · insincerity · hypocrisy · masquerade · subterfuge · bluff
cladding
Outer protective layer
stucco · siding · finish · plaster · render · laminate · sheathing · overlay · glaze · panel
elevation
Height above reference point
- claddingOuter protective layer
- exteriorOuter portion
- storefrontRetail facade facing street
stucco · brickwork · masonry · cornice · balustrade · portico · colonnade · pediment · pilaster · fenestration
disguise
Identity-concealing alteration
camouflage · shroud · concealment · cloak · secrecy · hidden · persona · guise · screen · curtain
shopfront
Retail establishment's street-facing exterior
- storefrontRetail facade facing street
- entrancePoint of access
- awningMounted overhead shelter
signage · marquee · doorway · window display · porch · veranda · canopy · sidewalk · boulevard · promenade
- Neoclassical architecturecolonnades, pediments, porticos, domes, cornices
- architectureEiffel Tower, buildings, architects, design, thatching
- architecture toursguided tours, walking tours, historic buildings, landmarks, Art Deco buildings
- building featuresentrance, entrances, exits, lobby, lobbies
- building partswall, door, windows, floor, window
- cityscapesskyline, city skyline, skylines, skyscraper, urban landscapes
facadesauthenticity
Quality of being genuine
genuineness · substance · reality · truth · sincerity
- building facadeStructure's outward-facing wall
- glass facadeTransparent architectural exterior
- temple facade
- stone facadeExterior wall's rock covering
- brick facadeOrnamental outer wall layer
- marble facadeDecorative stone building exterior