fictional

adjective

fic·​tion·​al ˈfik-shnəl 

-shə-nᵊl

: of, relating to, characterized by, or occurring in fiction : invented by the imagination

a fictional story/character

fictional dialogue

Over the past 15 years, Noble has created a fantastical, awe-inspiring fictional city called Nobson Newtown, which he renders in painstakingly detailed pencil drawings …

—Steve Rose

There are several surprises about stories. The first is that we spend a great deal of time in fictional worlds, whether in daydreams, novels, confabulations or life narratives. When all is tallied up, the decades we spend in the realm of fantasy outstrip the time we spend in the real world.

—David Eagleman

Besides scholarly writings and cultural criticism, he's turned out a fictional mystery series starring Edgar Allan Poe …

—Edward Lewine

fictionally

ˈfik-shnəl-ē 

-shə-nᵊl-ē

adverb

… a film that documents the history of space science and fictionally portrays a journey to the moon …

—Lynn Baker et al.

Synonyms

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

Examples of fictional in a Sentence

the events in the horror movie seemed so real to some fans that they could not believe that the whole thing was fictional

Recent Examples on the Web

The satire here isn’t necessarily aimed at any specific politician given that the characters are all clearly living in a fictional world, one where ideology barely seems to matter. —Leslie Felperin, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 May 2024

In 2017, Rambin starred in season 2 of the Hulu series The Path, which explores a fictional cult movement. —Madeline Cisneros, EW.com, 19 May 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1834, in the meaning defined above