fictitious

adjective

fic·​ti·​tious fik-ˈti-shəs How to pronounce fictitious (audio)
Synonyms of fictitiousnext
1
: of, relating to, or characteristic of fiction : imaginary
fictitious events described in his novel
2
a
: conventionally or hypothetically assumed or accepted
a fictitious concept
b
of a name : false, assumed
3
: not genuinely felt
fictitiously adverb
fictitiousness noun

Did you know?

Fictitious is related to the Medieval Latin word fictīcius, meaning "artificial," "imaginary," "feigned," or "fraudulent." It was first used in English as an antonym for natural. For instance, a fake diamond would be referred to as a fictitious one. This use indicates the word's deeper Latin roots: fictīcius is from the Latin verb fingere, meaning "to mold, fashion, make a likeness of; pretend to be." Nowadays, fictitious is no longer used for physical things shaped by the human hand. Rather, it is typically used for imaginative creations or for feigned emotions.

Synonyms

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Choose the Right Synonym for fictitious

fictitious, fabulous, legendary, mythical, apocryphal mean having the nature of something imagined or invented.

fictitious implies fabrication and suggests artificiality or contrivance more than deliberate falsification or deception.

fictitious characters

fabulous stresses the marvelous or incredible character of something without necessarily implying impossibility or actual nonexistence.

a land of fabulous riches

legendary suggests the elaboration of invented details and distortion of historical facts produced by popular tradition.

the legendary exploits of Davy Crockett

mythical implies a purely fanciful explanation of facts or the creation of beings and events out of the imagination.

mythical creatures

apocryphal implies an unknown or dubious source or origin or may imply that the thing itself is dubious or inaccurate.

a book that repeats many apocryphal stories

Examples of fictitious in a Sentence

The characters in the book are all fictitious. She gave a fictitious address on the application.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Everyone read a fictitious story about a school that was running out of water because its local aquifer was drying up. —Kaitlin Sullivan, NBC News, 9 Oct. 2024 To Kaplan, the onscreen romantic chemistry between the two fictitious lead characters, rival booksellers Joe Fox and Kathleen Kelly, drew her attention. —David Chiu, Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2024 There is a chance that generative AI can make up fictitious facts, often referred to as AI hallucinations, see my coverage at the link here. —Lance Eliot, Forbes, 2 Nov. 2024 At one point, Trump mentioned Hannibal Lecter, the fictitious serial killer and cannibal from Silence of the Lambs. —Marina Watts, People.com, 15 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for fictitious 

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Medieval Latin fictīcius "artificial, imaginary, feigned, fraudulent," going back to Latin, "artificial, not natural," from fictus, past participle of fingere "to mold, fashion, make a likeness of, pretend to be" + -īcius -itious — more at feign

First Known Use

circa 1633, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of fictitious was circa 1633

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Dictionary Entries Near fictitious

fictious

fictitious

fictive

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Cite this Entry

“Fictitious.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fictitious. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.

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Kids Definition

fictitious

adjective
fic·​ti·​tious fik-ˈtish-əs How to pronounce fictitious (audio)
: not real : made-up, imaginary
fictitiously adverb
fictitiousness noun

Legal Definition

fictitious

adjective
fic·​ti·​tious
1
: of, relating to, or characteristic of a legal fiction
2
: false
fictitiously adverb
fictitiousness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on fictitious

Nglish: Translation of fictitious for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of fictitious for Arabic Speakers

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