fictitious

adjective

fic·​ti·​tious fik-ˈti-shəs How to pronounce fictitious (audio)
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.

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 The federal grand jury in California specifically indicted Smirnov on two counts of making a false statement and creating a fictitious record, in reference to the FD-1023. Josh Meyer, USA TODAY, 12 Mar. 2024 In February, a federal grand jury in California indicted Smirnov on two counts of making a false statement and creating a fictitious record, referring to the FD-1023. Ellis Kim, CBS News, 1 Mar. 2024 The tax filings included falsified W2s, including nonexistent charity donations, nonexistent college attendance, and fictitious relatives, according to the release. Nicole Lopez, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 Feb. 2024 Life in the fictitious Midwestern town of Genoa City lives on. Marc Berman, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024 Centered on the residents of the fictitious Midwestern town of Genoa City, the series follows five decades of romances and rivalries between the Newman, Winters and Abbott families. Selome Hailu, Variety, 27 Feb. 2024 Your best bet is to answer these with fictitious information that can’t be guessed or found online. Larry Magid, The Mercury News, 22 Feb. 2024 The remains date back from Third to First Century BCE, long before the fictitious Romeo and Juliet would have lived, loved, and died there. Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 14 Feb. 2024 These steps have included the return by ESPN of statuettes issued to fictitious individuals and commitments to implement further internal accountability and procedural changes at the network. Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 11 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fictitious.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Cite this Entry

“Fictitious.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fictitious. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

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

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