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.

One particularly active fake profile used the name "Kevin Zhang", claiming to be the head of a fictitious Hong Kong-based firm called "Oriental Consulting", the security source told AFP.

From Barron's • Mar. 27, 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

In June 2025, the High Court of England and Wales warned lawyers not to use AI-generated case material after a series of cases cited fictitious or partially made up rulings.

From BBC • Mar. 3, 2026

And when a fictitious alien attempts to escape, he crashes into the Unisphere—actually a model of the giant globe—nearby.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 16, 2026

“Please don’t scream,” I said, thinking not about her probably fictitious father but about what other things might come running.

From "Hollow City" by Ransom Riggs

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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