fiction

noun

fic·​tion ˈfik-shən 

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

b

: fictitious literature (such as novels or short stories)

was renowned as a writer of fiction

c

: a work of fiction

especially : novel

Her latest work is a fiction set during the Civil War.

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

3

: the action of feigning or of creating with the imagination

She engaged in fiction to escape painful realities.

fictionality

ˌfik-shə-ˈna-lə-tē 

noun

Synonyms of fiction

• fantasy
• tale
• story
• novel
• fabrication
• fable
• invention
• figment

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

Justin Halpern, the comic mind behind ‘S— My Dad Says,’ ‘Harley Quinn’ and ‘Abbott Elementary,’ turns to fiction writing with ‘Get Lost,’ a baseball novel about talent, failure and family. — Stuart Miller, Los Angeles Times, 29 July 2026

Investors will finally see whether the financials are catching up to the fiction. — Dan Irvine, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026

Maxwell, a fiction editor at The New Yorker, drew upon his own awed discovery of France in 1948; the novel’s opening paragraphs show one of the protagonists weeping at the sight of the French shore. — Cynthia Zarin, Harpers Magazine, 28 July 2026

Reckoned to be the world’s most significant award for a single work of fiction, the Booker is hugely prestigious. — Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 28 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English ficcioun "invention of the mind," borrowed from Middle French fiction, borrowed from Latin fictiōn-, fictiō "action of shaping or molding, feigning, pretense, legal fiction," from fig-, variant stem of fingere "to mold, fashion, make a likeness of, pretend to be" + -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of verbal action — more at feign

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing fiction

• fact from fiction
• fan fiction
• science fiction
• slash fiction

Rhymes for fiction

• diction
• friction
• addiction
• affliction
• constriction
• conviction
• depiction
• eviction
• infliction
• nonfiction
• prediction
• restriction

Kids Definition

fiction

noun

fic·​tion ˈfik-shən 

1

: something told or written that is not fact

2

: a made-up story

fictional

-shnəl 

-shən-ᵊl

adjective

fictionally

-shnə-lē 

-shən-ᵊl-ē

adverb

Legal Definition

fiction

noun

fic·​tion

: legal fiction

fictional adjective