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.

Then scammers typically pile on pressure, adding voices claiming to be attorneys, courtroom clerks or bank tellers -- a cast of fictitious characters in a chaotic, urgent-sounding call.

From Barron's • Jun. 3, 2026

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

From MarketWatch • Apr. 30, 2026

She did concede, however, that the fictitious citations “‘may have’ come from her use of AI tools,” Buchanan noted.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 27, 2026

The report said that there were around one million cars on the road which had been registered by nearly 300 "fictitious companies operating totally free of state control".

From BBC • Mar. 12, 2026

Now, Howard Avenue is just a few blocks from where I live, so I could pretend I belonged to the Howard Avenue Civic League or some other fictitious philanthropy.

From "The Pigman" by Paul Zindel

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

Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!