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
1
as in truth
agreement with fact or reality
some viewers complained that the TV docudrama was short on factuality and long on speculation
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in reality
the quality of being actual
although this account of the scheme seems like it must be fiction, its very factuality makes it all the more fascinating
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of factual
Sandra Dallas, Denver Post, 18 May 2025
Her corresponding notebook, under glass nearby, explains these diagrams in charmingly factual prose.
—Walker Mimms, New York Times, 15 May 2025
Remember when Google demoed its Bard AI tool in 2023 and its factual error led to its parent company losing US$100 billion in market value?
—Greg Edwards, The Conversation, 30 May 2025
Puig agreed to waive any legal protections for suppression or exclusion of new information in the factual basis.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 30 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for factual
Adjective
Most books have typos and minor factual errors too insignificant to be pointed out.
—Sandra Dallas, Denver Post, 18 May 2025
Her corresponding notebook, under glass nearby, explains these diagrams in charmingly factual prose.
—Walker Mimms, New York Times, 15 May 2025
Remember when Google demoed its Bard AI tool in 2023 and its factual error led to its parent company losing US$100 billion in market value?
—Greg Edwards, The Conversation, 30 May 2025
Puig agreed to waive any legal protections for suppression or exclusion of new information in the factual basis.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 30 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for factual
Recent Examples of Synonyms for factual
Adjective
-
Walk the grounds at historical parks such as First State (Delaware), Ninety Six (South Carolina), Valley Forge (eastern Pennsylvania) and Morristown (New Jersey).—
Ken Burns,
USA Today,
18 June 2025
-
Members of the congregation placed important documents and the history of the church in a copper box embedded in the cornerstone, though only a few of the charter members who organized the congregation in 1858 were living and present at the ceremony, historical documents said.—
Michelle Mullins,
Chicago Tribune,
18 June 2025
Adjective
-
To prep for the sequence, Poole created two separate pre-viz videos, a preliminary one shot on a stage with marks where the action would be laid out, and a second one that refined the plan once Poole was able to work on the actual location.—
Jim Hemphill,
IndieWire,
16 June 2025
-
This Sundance Film Festival breakout used actual sea life to add all-too-realism to its worst-case vacation scenario.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
16 June 2025
Noun
-
Saturday night’s Club World Cup opener, a scoreless draw between Inter Miami and Al Ahly, revealed the hard truth about Messi’s new team.—
Felipe Cardenas,
New York Times,
15 June 2025
-
The leaders who will thrive in the years ahead are those willing to linger in discomfort long enough to let complexity reveal its deeper truths.—
Melanie Hughes,
Forbes.com,
15 June 2025
Noun
-
The reality is that if the 32 slots at the Club World Cup were to be the best vs the best in terms of quality, it would be dominated by European teams, but that would not aid FIFA’s mission to globalise the game.—
Jordan Campbell,
New York Times,
16 June 2025
-
MrBeast’s reality game show broke viewership records on Amazon.—
Forbes Video,
Forbes.com,
16 June 2025
Adjective
-
This, despite there being more documentary evidence than ever before in history: Information is abundant, yet consensus is elusive.—
Charlie Warzel,
The Atlantic,
13 June 2025
-
Throughout the prosecution’s case, the Commonwealth played numerous clips taken from interviews Read provided news outlets and documentary film crews, using her own words to highlight inconsistencies in her account and refute the defense’s arguments.—
Dakin Andone,
CNN Money,
11 June 2025
Adjective
-
That seems like a very high number and could create real problems.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
15 June 2025
-
That's pretty high in today's electric-mobility market, but the real problem for the new VanMoof will be regaining rider loyalty and trust.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
15 June 2025
Noun
-
Jones has a lower ceiling, but he's shown more accuracy than Richardson so far.—
Steve Bradshaw,
Forbes.com,
21 June 2025
-
If that continues, the quality of our foreign policy conversation will degrade even further, not just in accuracy, but in accountability.—
Nuri Kino,
MSNBC Newsweek,
20 June 2025
Noun
-
Albeit that doesn’t change the fact the data is out there.—
Zak Doffman,
Forbes.com,
21 June 2025
-
Perhaps something gets done swiftly by August, but the most important fact to remember is that there is no firm timeline that his camp has declared.—
Pierre LeBrun,
New York Times,
21 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Factual.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/factual. Accessed 27 Jun. 2025.
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