fictioneer

noun

fic·​tion·​eer ˌfik-shə-ˈnir 

: one who writes fiction especially in quantity and without high standards

fictioneering

ˌfik-shə-ˈnir-iŋ 

noun

Did you know?

In Latin, the verb fingere means "to shape, fashion, or feign." Fictioneers surely do shape stories and feign the truth, so you could say that the noun fictioneer is etymologically true to its ancestor. The word fiction had been around for more than 500 years by the time fictioneer appeared in English in 1923, bearing a suffix that harks back to such words as engineer and pamphleteer. The word is used generally to refer to any writer of fiction but often specifically to one who writes with little concern for literary quality. Fictioneer and fiction aren't the only English feigners and shapers born of fingere. The words effigy, feign, and figment are among others that trace back to that Latin verb.

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

The British science-fictioneer has, as a screenwriter and director, staked out a particular genre of galaxy-brain theater. —James Poniewozik, New York Times, 4 Mar. 2020

Word History

Etymology

fiction + -eer

First Known Use

1923, in the meaning defined above

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