1
a
: something invented by the imagination or feigned
specifically
: an invented story
… I'd found out that the story of the ailing son was pure fiction. —
Andrew A. Rooney
Andrew A. Rooney
b
: fictitious literature (such as novels or short stories)
was renowned as a writer of fiction
c
: a work of fiction
2
a
: an assumption of a possibility as a fact irrespective of the question of its truth
a legal fiction
b
: a useful illusion or pretense
It was only a fiction of independence his mother gave him; he was almost totally under her power …—G. A. Wagner
G. A. Wagner3
: the action of feigning or of creating with the imagination
She engaged in fiction to escape painful realities.
Synonyms of fiction
Examples of fiction in a Sentence
She believes the fiction that crime rates are up.
most stories about famous outlaws of the Old West are fictions that have little or nothing to do with fact
Recent Examples on the Web
The members face a crisis of friendship as loyalties shift; trust is tested, and the lines between fact and fiction blur.
—Emily Longeretta, Variety, 26 Nov. 2025
The worst nightmares in multiversal fiction arrive when an alternate reality is exactly the same save for one thing, which might not matter, or which might change everything entirely.
—Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 26 Nov. 2025
Here’s what to know about Hamnet, including where truth ends and fiction begins.
—Nathan Smith, Time, 26 Nov. 2025
The property partners with Aspen Words, a local literary center founded by the Aspen Institute, on a rotating collection of fiction and nonfiction titles.
—Siobhan Reid, Vogue, 25 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fiction
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Emily Longeretta, Variety, 26 Nov. 2025
The worst nightmares in multiversal fiction arrive when an alternate reality is exactly the same save for one thing, which might not matter, or which might change everything entirely.
—Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 26 Nov. 2025
Here’s what to know about Hamnet, including where truth ends and fiction begins.
—Nathan Smith, Time, 26 Nov. 2025
The property partners with Aspen Words, a local literary center founded by the Aspen Institute, on a rotating collection of fiction and nonfiction titles.
—Siobhan Reid, Vogue, 25 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fiction
Cite this Entry
“Fiction.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fiction. Accessed 29 Nov. 2025.
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