fiction

noun fic·tion \ ˈfik-shən \

|Updated on: 8 Jul 2018

Examples: fiction in a Sentence

Definition of fiction

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.

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fictional

play \ˈfik-shnəl, -shə-nᵊl\ adjective

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fictionality

play \ˌfik-shə-ˈna-lə-tē\ noun

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fictionally

play \ˈfik-shnə-lē, -shə-nᵊl-ē\ adverb

See fiction defined for English-language learners

See fiction defined for kids

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 of fiction from the Web

Recreating the evil deed, unearthing the evidence and shaping the story into a compelling narrative may sound like easy pickings for an accomplished author, but facts can be messier than fiction.

— mary ann gwinn, The Seattle Times, "Lit Life: Three true-crime stories that are stranger than fiction," 2 July 2018
Yes, this is fiction, but the ethical lapse is disappointing and distracting.

— susan kaplan carlton, BostonGlobe.com, "Meredith Goldstein is growing love in a lab," 22 June 2018
In the end, however, entrepreneurship can’t be pure fiction.

— brent goldfarb and david kirsch, Vox, "Why is Elon Musk raging at “big media”? Because he’s finally being called on his tall tales.," 30 May 2018
If the idea of breaking open a hefty tome keeps you from reading at all, find small chunks of time throughout the day to enjoy short stories, compact pieces of fiction that build entire worlds in just a few pages.

— caroline rogers, Southern Living, "Short Story Collections for People Who Don’t Have Time for Novels," 9 May 2018
Though the book is fiction, readers can learn lessons for life, Goodwin said.

— quoron walker, Courant Community, "Local Author Discusses New Novel," 8 May 2018
One such group is Danish four-piece LLNN, which twists hardcore touchstones with elements of postmetal, science-fiction movie scores, and more.

— jamie ludwig, Chicago Reader, "Hank Pearl of Black Pearl Photo on masked Swedish synth masters Priest," 2 May 2018
Many consider Blade Runner to be one of the most influential science-fiction movies of all time, with its impact being felt on plenty of films since.

— david taylor, Houston Chronicle, "Panthers lose district title match on fluke play, 1-0," 26 Mar. 2018
Quite simply, Kobach’s rationale for this law is pure fiction.

— charles p. pierce, Esquire, "The Battle for Voting Rights Is Never Over," 6 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'fiction.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of fiction

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

fiction Synonyms

Other Literature Terms

apophasis, bathos, bildungsroman, bowdlerize, caesura, coda, doggerel, euphemism, poesy, prosody

FICTION Defined for English Language Learners

fiction

noun

Definition of fiction for English Language Learners

: written stories about people and events that are not real : literature that tells stories which are imagined by the writer
: something that is not true

FICTION Defined for Kids

fiction

noun fic·tion \ ˈfik-shən \

Definition of fiction for Students

1 : something told or written that is not fact

2 : a made-up story

3 : works of literature that are not true stories

Word Root of fiction

The Latin word fingere, meaning “to shape” or “to mold,” and its form fictus give us the roots fig and fict. Words from the Latin fingere have something to do with shaping. The figure of something, especially a person's body, is its shape. To disfigure is to change the shape and ruin the looks of something. Fiction is something written that is not fact but is shaped by the imagination.