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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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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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
This is a useful inquiry, because we in the modern world are inundated by manipulated or factitious statistics, fabricated by marketers and politicians, promoted on social media and swallowed whole by news organizations.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 14 Dec. 2023
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
Almanacs aren’t always — and haven’t always been — so fastidiously factitious.
—Mark Athitakis, Washington Post, 24 Nov. 2020
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
This is a useful inquiry, because we in the modern world are inundated by manipulated or factitious statistics, fabricated by marketers and politicians, promoted on social media and swallowed whole by news organizations.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 14 Dec. 2023
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
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
Adjective
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Franklin’s work follows a 2025 Consumer Reports study, which made the rounds on social media last year after finding carcinogens in 10 synthetic braiding hair extensions.—
Leah Asmelash,
CNN Money,
28 Feb. 2026
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That is in part, experts say, because newer, synthetic materials are less likely to bleed than the natural fibers that made up most of our clothes in the past.—
The Washington Post,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
28 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Richards and the governor’s office pushed back on false assertions that Newsom and his wife, First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom, were stealing money from the state through her office that same day.—
Taryn Luna,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2026
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Air power cannot overthrow a government, some say, which is on one level true—a fighter jet cannot take the keys to the presidential palace, after all—and on another level, obviously false.—
Eliot A. Cohen,
The Atlantic,
6 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Michaels also added new Real Touch faux florals and UV-resistant greenery for indoor and outdoor decor.—
Sophia Beams,
Better Homes & Gardens,
4 Mar. 2026
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Fort Lauderdale commissioners said yes to the faux grass Tuesday night, reversing an earlier ruling by the city’s Historic Preservation Board.—
Susannah Bryan,
Sun Sentinel,
4 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
What people fail to realize, Harding said, is that the office is an investigative body that plays a role in uncovering the cause of unnatural deaths and also protecting the public.—
Shannon Tyler
March 6,
Idaho Statesman,
6 Mar. 2026
-
The film is fiercely feminist, a little punk, more than a bit surreal, leaning much heavier on absurdist romance than horror and, ultimately, an unnatural force of nature.—
Mark Meszoros,
Boston Herald,
5 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Navarre Beach Marine Park is another local favorite, with picnic pavilions, dune walkovers, and access to near-shore artificial reefs for some underwater exploration.—
Carrie Honaker,
Travel + Leisure,
8 Mar. 2026
-
Then, in June 2025, the mission captured its first photos of an artificial solar eclipse.—
Josh Dinner,
Space.com,
6 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Lo and behold, the signal for the mock galaxy was just as strong as the signal for CDG-2 was, even when the globular clusters were masked completely away.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
3 Mar. 2026
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With that in mind and a week of intel collected, here’s The Denver Post’s second stab at a Broncos mock draft.—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
3 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Police listed multiple flags to watch out for, including Irish and British accents, saying many of the members are part of international rings of foreign nationals using fake business names.—
Tim Fang,
CBS News,
6 Mar. 2026
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However, the best part of this entire charade was not Devens hiding a fake idol at Tribal Council.—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
5 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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With Powell missing his third straight game because of a strained right groin, the Heat went with the starting lineup of Davion Mitchell, Herro, Pelle Larsson, Andrew Wiggins and Adebayo for the third consecutive game.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
6 Mar. 2026
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The White House pledge for tech companies responds to fears of what data center buildouts mean for everyday Americans’ strained wallets.—
Eric Schmidt,
Fortune,
6 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Factitious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/factitious. Accessed 9 Mar. 2026.
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