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
Distribution of factual and lawfully obtained public information is generally protected by the First Amendment, according to Zick.
—
Isabel Rosales, CNN Money, 22 Jan. 2026
Korn has commissioned thousands of hours of factual shows for Sky History and Crime+Investigation during hist tenure as Vice President of Programming.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 22 Jan. 2026
As part of Caspi’s arrival, Hayden Meyer — who has overseen alternative & factual for the past 20 years at IAG (and its predecessor APA) — will segue to a new senior position focused on servicing key clients.
—Michael Schneider, Variety, 20 Jan. 2026
Suspicions led to his arrest in Mendoza in 1960 despite his complete dissemblance, lack of education, long presence in the country, age gaps and missing factual connections that could tie him to Bormann.
—Solly Boussidan, FOXNews.com, 18 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for factual
Isabel Rosales, CNN Money, 22 Jan. 2026
Korn has commissioned thousands of hours of factual shows for Sky History and Crime+Investigation during hist tenure as Vice President of Programming.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 22 Jan. 2026
As part of Caspi’s arrival, Hayden Meyer — who has overseen alternative & factual for the past 20 years at IAG (and its predecessor APA) — will segue to a new senior position focused on servicing key clients.
—Michael Schneider, Variety, 20 Jan. 2026
Suspicions led to his arrest in Mendoza in 1960 despite his complete dissemblance, lack of education, long presence in the country, age gaps and missing factual connections that could tie him to Bormann.
—Solly Boussidan, FOXNews.com, 18 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for factual
Recent Examples of Synonyms for factual
Adjective
-
One film has dominated much of the season and shattered records, while the other carries an undercurrent of passion and historical weight that could resonate on a preferential Oscar ballot.—
Jordan Moreau,
Variety,
7 Jan. 2026
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Others have expressed concern about nationalist rhetoric and disputes over historical memory, particularly regarding Hungary’s role in the Holocaust.—
Efrat Lachter,
FOXNews.com,
7 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Those minutes were finally on the downturn Thursday night, with actual center Valanciunas returning to the Nuggets’ rotation after an 11-game absence.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
24 Jan. 2026
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The actual number of affected users is unclear.—
Zak Doffman,
Forbes.com,
24 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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That’s what very much happened to Nev in real life, as chronicled in the documentary film.—
Tony Maglio,
HollywoodReporter,
7 Jan. 2026
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At that gala, those documentary-feature people could actually be the honorees at the gala.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
7 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Dell is finally good at something—but as her behavior becomes riskier and a shadowy troll threatens to expose her dark past, Dell must reckon with what her digital life ignores, and what real redemption means.—
Danielle Parker,
CBS News,
27 Jan. 2026
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When boys are asked to show up consistently for real people, academic readiness and emotional readiness develop side by side.—
Dr. Liz Doe Stone,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
The area is so nationally notorious that the Border Patrol chose it to stage an invasion here in July, complete with a literal cavalry of agents trotting down a soccer field where kids usually play while National Guard troops sat inside armored Humvees on Wilshire Boulevard.—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Jan. 2026
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His contributions to the city’s literal culinary landscape were recognized in October by AIA Colorado, which named him its architect of the year.—
Miguel Otárola,
Denver Post,
21 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Such should be true for tomorrow as well.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Jan. 2026
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The app will bring to the fore true voices endorsed by the fanbases.—
Tim Spiers,
New York Times,
28 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Significant experiment The effort is part of the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment, a nonfictional experiment with detectors that will be immersed in huge baths of cryogenic liquid argon, which is going the opposite direction — down.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
15 Jan. 2026
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But what was more interesting to me are those who aren’t fantasizing about being in a fictional world, but who are fantasizing about being a different reader, in a more secure nonfictional world.—
James Folta,
Literary Hub,
13 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Factual.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/factual. Accessed 31 Jan. 2026.
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