factitious

adjective

fak-ˈti-shəs How to pronounce factitious (audio)
Definition of factitiousnext
1
as in synthetic
being such in appearance only and made with or manufactured from usually cheaper materials presumably the statue is of factitious marble, because for that price you're not going to get the real stuff

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2
as in false
lacking in natural or spontaneous quality the factitious friendliness shown by the beauty-pageant contestants to one another

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of factitious Another was shorting Valeant, the high-flyer with factitious revenue growth. — William Baldwin, Forbes.com, 23 Apr. 2025 With this announcement, factitious (in my opinion) concerns about Amazon being behind in GenAI will be reduced big time. — Sandy Carter, Forbes, 6 Dec. 2024 Their connection to these was as factitious as their previous link to toothpaste. — David Mamet, National Review, 31 Mar. 2022 Marc Feldman, the American psychiatrist who popularized the term Munchausen by internet, has noticed that most of the cases of factitious disorder that come to his attention involve women. — Helen Lewis, The Atlantic, 16 Mar. 2021 Amidst this sad and factitious disorder what became clear was that political agendas were once again trumping facts. — Amir Husain, Forbes, 4 Mar. 2021 Almanacs aren’t always — and haven’t always been — so fastidiously factitious. — Mark Athitakis, Washington Post, 24 Nov. 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for factitious
  1. synthetic
  2. false
  3. faux
  4. mock
  5. artificial
  6. unnatural
  7. fake
  8. strained
Adjective
  • The illicit drug supply has changed rapidly over the last few months, with nitazenes, medetomidine, cychlorphine, and other novel synthetic substances appearing in rapid succession.
    — Dr. Shravani Durbhakula, Time, 1 Nov. 2026
  • Buyers across the organic supply chain are seeking reliable domestic sources of supply, while organic farming offers producers opportunities to reduce dependence on synthetic inputs, strengthen economic resilience and access higher-value markets.
    — Jeff Tkach, Forbes.com, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of synthetic
Adjective
  • Black asserts that the statements made by Garcia are false and that traveling to appear on national television to make such statements about the inquiry into Epstein’s crimes goes beyond the purview of a member of Congress.
    — Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 5 Nov. 2026
  • The hotel had something of a false, albeit star-studded, start, opening for just one night in April 2020 (with first guests including stellar artists Hiroshi Sugimoto and Takashi Murakami), before it was closed by the pandemic.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 5 Nov. 2026
Definition of false
Adjective
  • But the real showstopper was the two-story replica of Barbie’s Dreamhouse, complete with a 2D faux pool, a DJ spinning tracks, and the trademark spiral slide.
    — Serena Turner, Vanity Fair, 3 Nov. 2026
  • Releases have experimented with a range of materials and patterns including a standard mesh and synthetic combo, faux-crocodile skin and cow-print sued — and Comme des Garçons is now stepping in as the first collaborator to get a release.
    — Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of faux
Adjective
  • In it, Stanford University psychologist Philip Zimbardo had 24 male college students randomly assigned to play guards or inmates in a mock prison to see how power structures could affect the behavior of ordinary people.
    — Frank Landymore, Futurism, 29 Oct. 2026
  • Customs Air and Marine Operations agents also put on a show in Government Cut with a Blackhawk helicopter and two Customs boats chasing down agents in a mock smuggling vessel.
    — David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of mock
Adjective
  • Many also have holiday decor collections filled with wreaths and artificial Christmas trees already on sale.
    — Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 4 Nov. 2026
  • The stock market has been shaky recently as technology and artificial-intelligence stocks have swung on worries their prices shot too high in the frenzy around AI.
    — Stan Choe, Chicago Tribune, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of artificial
Adjective
  • Some movements feel unnatural, facial expressions are exaggerated, and small details occasionally fall into the uncanny valley or break rules of logical consistency.
    — Britta Miller, The Washington Examiner, 14 Oct. 2026
  • But closer examination reveals that OpenAI’s proof builds its unnatural force in a totally distinct way.
    — Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of unnatural
Adjective
  • While policymakers debate new privacy laws, doctors such as Julien Cavanagh say they are left to fix the mess that targeted online ads for fake cures create for patients’ health.
    — Washington Post, Washington Post, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Criminals can imitate those messages to create panic and lure people toward fake login pages.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of fake
Adjective
  • That decision left the financially strained athletic department staring at a buyout of roughly $50 million.
    — Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 1 Nov. 2026
  • The relationship between LaLiga and Real Madrid is beyond strained—see Tebas’ Nazi comments as an example—but on this two agreed that everyone involved had to bend the knee.
    — Eben Novy-Williams, Sportico.com, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of strained

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factious
factitious
factoid
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Cite this Entry

“Factitious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/factitious. Accessed 5 Nov. 2026.

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