Definitions

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.

The center also allegedly used fictitious business entities to pay the informants and is charged with money laundering and lying to a federally insured bank in connection with those transactions.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 30, 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

Filings also note a $1 million payment to Weiss that entailed compensation for family members and payments to his personal American Express card, and a $205,500 disbursement to Stitsky “including salary to a fictitious person.”

From Barron's • Mar. 4, 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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