facade

A facade is the front part of a building that people see from the outside. It's like the face of the house.

When we talk about a facade, we often mean the way something looks on the surface, but it might not be what it really is underneath. For example, if someone says a company has a happy facade, they're saying that it seems friendly and welcoming, but maybe there are problems behind closed doors. A country's strong economy can create a facade of prosperity, hiding deeper issues like poverty or inequality. In architecture, a facade might be a beautifully designed exterior, but the inside is not as impressive. The idea is that there's often more to something than what we see at first glance.