1
as in historical
restricted to or based on fact
a factual biography of George Washington that scoffs at the story about the cherry tree
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in actual
existing in fact and not merely as a possibility
a serious scientist, she is only interested in factual phenomena and lets others speculate about the hypothetical
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of factual
The problem here is that in the real world, factual accuracy is the bedrock of journalism, and objectivity would be a close second.
—
Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 16 Sep. 2025
The Cordell report has since been discredited — missing transcripts, factual errors and even confusion of key witnesses.
—Matthew J. Frauenfeld, Mercury News, 12 Sep. 2025
Charlie had an incredible ability to dialogue with folks on all points of the political spectrum through the use of factual reasoning and persuasion.
—Letters To The Editor, Oc Register, 11 Sep. 2025
Reunion was directly inspired by real-life stories from my factual days that couldn’t be told in any way other than as dramas.
—Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 5 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for factual
Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 16 Sep. 2025
The Cordell report has since been discredited — missing transcripts, factual errors and even confusion of key witnesses.
—Matthew J. Frauenfeld, Mercury News, 12 Sep. 2025
Charlie had an incredible ability to dialogue with folks on all points of the political spectrum through the use of factual reasoning and persuasion.
—Letters To The Editor, Oc Register, 11 Sep. 2025
Reunion was directly inspired by real-life stories from my factual days that couldn’t be told in any way other than as dramas.
—Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 5 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for factual
Recent Examples of Synonyms for factual
Adjective
-
Otherwise, the final environmental analysis determined that, even after mitigation, three other impacts — land use, historical and tribal cultural resources, and noise — will be significant and unavoidable.—
Jennifer Van Grove,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
23 Sep. 2025
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The ex-Protagonist CEO, the focus of a recent The Hollywood Reporter profile ahead of Venice, has had a wild festival run this summer with Laszlo Nemes’ historical drama Orphan, Imran Perretta’s coming-of-age debut Ish, and Helen Walsh’s erotic sophomore feature On the Sea.—
Lily Ford,
HollywoodReporter,
23 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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His obsession with gilding everything, whether with actual gold or paint, feels not unlike a Goodwill-furniture-flipper’s antiquing hack.—
Christopher Bonanos,
Curbed,
25 Sep. 2025
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An actual indictment would ultimately need to be backed by a grand jury, after hearing evidence put on by a prosecutor.—
Aysha Bagchi,
USA Today,
25 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The connective tissue is the documentary crew from The Office, searching for its next subject.—
Emily Zemler,
Rolling Stone,
21 Sep. 2025
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The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Megalopolis get the documentary treatment as does the inner world of Ye in this end of summer indie weekend with a sprinkling of dramas and comedies.—
Jill Goldsmith,
Deadline,
19 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Don’t rely on ballpark guesses in place of a real CMA.—
Mary Beth Eastman,
USA Today,
25 Sep. 2025
-
But perhaps the most telling part of Jones’ resurrection with the Colts is what he’s done against defenses that still aren’t convinced this is real.—
James Boyd,
New York Times,
24 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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America seems unlikely to be made great again by the demagogues of white nationalism, who cannot help but channel fury over irreversible decline at those who have been working hard, through either literal or spiritual immigration, to become American.—
Pankaj Mishra,
Harpers Magazine,
19 Sep. 2025
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It’s designed for discovery, and those who follow the cues are rewarded at every literal turn.—
Ashlee Marie Preston,
Forbes.com,
19 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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By this time, Elio is beginning to confront the reality of Oliver’s eventual departure (and thus, his first experience of true heartbreak).—
James Factora,
Them.,
26 Sep. 2025
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This time, the Cougars feature a true freshman at QB in Bear Bachmeier, who has looked sharp throwing for 518 yards and four TDs as BYU breezed through non-conference play.—
Kyle Newman,
Denver Post,
26 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Recently, this sacrament has garnered nonfictional attention.—
Timothy Gabrielli,
The Conversation,
25 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Factual.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/factual. Accessed 28 Sep. 2025.
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