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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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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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Ideal for the ultimate no-makeup makeup look, for which Westman is known, the innovative blush harnesses biomimicry pigment technology, which lessens the risk of inflammation by encapsulating the synthetic pigments in the blush.—
Jenny Berg,
Vogue,
9 Feb. 2026
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And the best way to sidestep that is by picking a pair of socks made from a moisture-wicking blend—ideally a combination of merino wool (at least 50 percent) and synthetic materials.—
Jonathan Thompson,
Travel + Leisure,
9 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Authorities did not provide additional details about the agents' apparently false statements.—
Nicole Acevedo,
NBC news,
13 Feb. 2026
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Nevertheless, Worden continued to promote the false claim to news outlets and hired a media consultant to amplify it, the documents said.—
Marc Ramirez,
USA Today,
13 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The hiker aesthetic is rounded out with hardware trims on the Ghillie laces and a warm faux-fur lining.—
Karla Rodriguez,
Footwear News,
11 Feb. 2026
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For bird lovers who want to recreate this whimsical display, fill a medium-size pot with about three-quarters full with potting mix, then place a faux bird's nest from the crafts shop on top (lightly fill it with potting mix as well).—
Miranda Crowell,
Better Homes & Gardens,
11 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
This tends to bento-box subjects in unnatural ways.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
9 Feb. 2026
-
Too-deep application can scar, alter texture, or cause pigment migration, color shifts, and an unnatural look over time.—
Tatiana Dias,
Vogue,
9 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
This cake requires a fine balance of enough food dye for a vibrant interior without making the cake taste artificial.—
Alana Al-Hatlani,
Southern Living,
14 Feb. 2026
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Its co-founder and CEO Dario Amodei has promised a clearer focus on the safety of the better-than-human technology called artificial general intelligence that both San Francisco firms aimed to build.—
Matt O'Brien,
Fortune,
13 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Pharmacy technician students practice compounding mock medications such as lip balms and creams.—
Wilborn P. Nobles III,
Dallas Morning News,
10 Feb. 2026
-
The oversized mock-neck sweater tucks chicly into the pencil-leg pants, primed for rolling at the hems and styling with chunky sneakers for long travel days.—
Olivia Young,
Travel + Leisure,
9 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The agency allegedly used Bank of America accounts to lure young women with fake modeling offers, while financial records suggest the bank was aware of these suspicious connections, according to plaintiff’s claims.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
13 Feb. 2026
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Some guests got very into it—one adopted a fake British accent for the duration.—
Rachel Syme,
New Yorker,
13 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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As Derya and Aziz’s hypocrisies, as upper-class intellectuals, are increasingly brought to the fore, Namal and Biçer’s conversational performances grow haggard and strained.—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
13 Feb. 2026
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Gregg Phillips, an associate administrator at FEMA, said at a hearing this week that its disaster relief fund has sufficient balances to continue emergency response activities during a shutdown, but would become seriously strained in the event of a catastrophic disaster.—
Mary Clare Jalonick,
Chicago Tribune,
12 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Factitious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/factitious. Accessed 17 Feb. 2026.
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