fictitious

[fik-tish-uhs] / fɪkˈtɪʃ əs /

ADJECTIVE

untrue, made-up

Synonyms

STRONGEST

apocryphal bogus counterfeit fabricated false fanciful fictional imaginary make believe misleading mythical phony sham spurious

WEAK

artificial assumed chimerical concocted cooked-up created deceptive delusive delusory dishonest ersatz factitious fake faked fantastic fashioned feigned fictive figmental hyped-up illusory imagined improvised invented made mock romantic simulated suppositious supposititious synthetic trumped-up unreal

Antonyms

STRONGEST

authentic factual genuine honest real sincere true truthful

WEAK

actual certain confirmed proven sure

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Danielle, “Rooster” takes place at a fictitious college.

From Los Angeles Times • May 26, 2026

"Some people just want a fictitious romance but have no intention of ever meeting you. Or they're married, or just want an online relationship."

From BBC • May 21, 2026

The group paid informants starting in the 1980s, sometimes using fictitious companies to disguise the payments, according to the indictment.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 15, 2026

In its review, the Hechinger Report found other companies that similarly allude to fictitious government programs.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 30, 2026

There are some who claim not just that some discoveries are difficult to pinpoint but that all discovery claims are essentially fictitious.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

Vocabulary lists containing fictitious

Commonly Confused Words, List 1

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30 GRE Words Beginning with "E" and "F"

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The Pigman

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