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
This interview was featured in the Books & Fiction newsletter, which delivers the stories behind the stories, along with our latest fiction.
—Deborah Treisman, New Yorker, 8 Mar. 2026
With Atwood’s novel as its foundation, a returning showrunner in Miller, Dowd anchoring the cast, and a new generation of actors stepping into Gilead, The Testaments is the next major entry in a franchise that has shaped how audiences engage with dystopian fiction on screen.
—Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 6 Mar. 2026
With Atwood’s novel as its foundation, a returning showrunner in Miller, Dowd anchoring the cast and a new generation of actors stepping into Gilead, The Testaments arrives next spring as the next chapter in a franchise that has defined dystopian fiction on streaming television.
—Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 6 Mar. 2026
The users are not only escaping the real world for a moment, but are escaping their own identities in a way that fiction can provide, giving familiar tropes that will always conclude with a happy ending in place of the uncertainties (and often cruel certainties) of the real world.
—Kayti Burt, Time, 6 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fiction
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Deborah Treisman, New Yorker, 8 Mar. 2026
With Atwood’s novel as its foundation, a returning showrunner in Miller, Dowd anchoring the cast, and a new generation of actors stepping into Gilead, The Testaments is the next major entry in a franchise that has shaped how audiences engage with dystopian fiction on screen.
—Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 6 Mar. 2026
With Atwood’s novel as its foundation, a returning showrunner in Miller, Dowd anchoring the cast and a new generation of actors stepping into Gilead, The Testaments arrives next spring as the next chapter in a franchise that has defined dystopian fiction on streaming television.
—Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 6 Mar. 2026
The users are not only escaping the real world for a moment, but are escaping their own identities in a way that fiction can provide, giving familiar tropes that will always conclude with a happy ending in place of the uncertainties (and often cruel certainties) of the real world.
—Kayti Burt, Time, 6 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fiction
Cite this Entry
“Fiction.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fiction. Accessed 9 Mar. 2026.
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