fictitious

adjective

fic·​ti·​tious fik-ˈti-shəs 

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.

Synonyms

• chimerical
• chimeric
• fabulous
• fanciful
• fantasied
• fantastic
• fantastical
• fictional
• ideal
• imaginal
• imaginary
• imagined
• invented
• made-up
• make-believe
• mythical
• mythic
• notional
• phantasmal
• phantasmic
• phantom
• pretend
• unreal
• visionary

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

All the names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents in this book are either the product of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. —Dan Morse, Washington Post, 18 Apr. 2024

The Red Flat: Everyday Life in Communist Bulgaria, as the immersive experience is called, comes with an audio guide that brings to life the apartment’s fictitious inhabitants: Elena Petrov, a journalist; her husband, Plamen, who works abroad; and their teenage son, Boyan. —Alice Popovici, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 Apr. 2024

The fictitious Baba Shakti calls to mind right-wing spiritual advisers and politicians in India. —Harmeet Kaur, CNN, 15 Apr. 2024

That includes policies written for dead and fictitious people. —Vinamrata Chaturvedi, Quartz, 12 Apr. 2024

Between those were a drumbeat of fictitious health crises for the former first lady and presidential candidate. —Lachlan Cartwright, New York Times, 3 Apr. 2024

The sports drama that is centered around football player Spencer James (Daniel Ezra) — which has followed the star wide receiver and his friends from his days at Crenshaw High up through his freshman year at the fictitious Golden Angeles University last season — will mark 100 episodes on May 27. —Brande Victorian, The Hollywood Reporter, 2 Apr. 2024

The search warrant affidavit mentions two laws in seeking authorization for a search — one that restricts commerce in guns to licensed dealers and the other dealing with making fictitious statements about acquiring firearms. —Phil Helsel, NBC News, 22 Mar. 2024

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

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

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Kids Definition

fictitious

adjective

fic·​ti·​tious fik-ˈtish-əs 

: 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