fictional
adjective
fic·tion·al
ˈfik-shnəl 
-shə-nᵊl
: of, relating to, characterized by, or occurring in fiction : invented by the imagination
a fictional story/character
fictional dialogue
Over the past 15 years, Noble has created a fantastical, awe-inspiring fictional city called Nobson Newtown, which he renders in painstakingly detailed pencil drawings …—
Steve Rose
Steve RoseThere are several surprises about stories. The first is that we spend a great deal of time in fictional worlds, whether in daydreams, novels, confabulations or life narratives. When all is tallied up, the decades we spend in the realm of fantasy outstrip the time we spend in the real world.—David Eagleman
David EaglemanBesides scholarly writings and cultural criticism, he's turned out a fictional mystery series starring Edgar Allan Poe …—Edward Lewine
Edward Lewine
fictionally
ˈfik-shnəl-ē
adverb
-shə-nᵊl-ē
… a film that documents the history of space science and fictionally portrays a journey to the moon …
—Lynn Baker et al.
Lynn Baker et al.
Synonyms
Examples of fictional in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
This isn't the first time Swift has mentioned the fictional character frozen in boyhood.
—Bryan West, USA TODAY, 23 Apr. 2024
In the movie, the fictional watch has a unique feature that allows Bond to print messages received from other spies.
—Cait Bazemore, Robb Report, 23 Apr. 2024
But in any case, this production takes this notion of fictional integrity to a ludicrous extreme in the casting of Gayle Rankin as Sally Bowles.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2024
Unlike the professional dancers who portray the other members of August Moon, Galitzine isn’t used to festival stages, even fictional ones.
—Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 22 Apr. 2024
Yet no such expenses existed, prosecutors say, and the retainer agreement was fictional.
—Jonah E. Bromwich, New York Times, 21 Apr. 2024
Alongside costars like Danny DeVito, Marilu Henner and Judd Hirsch, Danza played a less-than-successful fictional fighter also working as a cab driver, for all five seasons of the series.
—Staff Author, Peoplemag, 21 Apr. 2024
While some might assume that its name refers to a person, the store's moniker is actually based on a fictional story created by the company about an American girl, Brandy, who falls in love in Italy with an Englishman, Melville.
—Cady Lang, TIME, 12 Apr. 2024
Inspired by the book of the same name, the Apple Originals film stars Bryce Dallas Howard as Elly Conway, a reclusive novelist behind a series of best-selling books about the fictional super spy Argylle (Henry Cavill).
—Danielle Directo-Meston, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Apr. 2024
Bryan West, USA TODAY, 23 Apr. 2024
In the movie, the fictional watch has a unique feature that allows Bond to print messages received from other spies.
—Cait Bazemore, Robb Report, 23 Apr. 2024
But in any case, this production takes this notion of fictional integrity to a ludicrous extreme in the casting of Gayle Rankin as Sally Bowles.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2024
Unlike the professional dancers who portray the other members of August Moon, Galitzine isn’t used to festival stages, even fictional ones.
—Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 22 Apr. 2024
Yet no such expenses existed, prosecutors say, and the retainer agreement was fictional.
—Jonah E. Bromwich, New York Times, 21 Apr. 2024
Alongside costars like Danny DeVito, Marilu Henner and Judd Hirsch, Danza played a less-than-successful fictional fighter also working as a cab driver, for all five seasons of the series.
—Staff Author, Peoplemag, 21 Apr. 2024
While some might assume that its name refers to a person, the store's moniker is actually based on a fictional story created by the company about an American girl, Brandy, who falls in love in Italy with an Englishman, Melville.
—Cady Lang, TIME, 12 Apr. 2024
Inspired by the book of the same name, the Apple Originals film stars Bryce Dallas Howard as Elly Conway, a reclusive novelist behind a series of best-selling books about the fictional super spy Argylle (Henry Cavill).
—Danielle Directo-Meston, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fictional.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near fictional
Cite this Entry
“Fictional.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fictional. Accessed 27 Apr. 2024.
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