FICTITIOUS Synonyms: 73 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How is the word 'fictitious' distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of fictitious are apocryphal , fabulous , legendary , and mythical . While all these words mean "having the nature of something imagined or invented," fictitious implies fabrication and suggests artificiality or contrivance more than deliberate falsification or deception. // fictitious characters

Q: When would 'apocryphal' be a good substitute for 'fictitious'?

The words apocryphal and fictitious are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, apocryphal implies an unknown or dubious source or origin or may imply that the thing itself is dubious or inaccurate. // a book that repeats many apocryphal stories

Q: Where would 'fabulous' be a reasonable alternative to 'fictitious'?

The synonyms fabulous and fictitious are sometimes interchangeable, but fabulous stresses the marvelous or incredible character of something without necessarily implying impossibility or actual nonexistence. // a land of fabulous riches

Q: In what contexts can 'legendary' take the place of 'fictitious'?

Although the words legendary and fictitious have much in common, legendary suggests the elaboration of invented details and distortion of historical facts produced by popular tradition. // the legendary exploits of Davy Crockett

Q: When can 'mythical' be used instead of 'fictitious'?

While in some cases nearly identical to fictitious , mythical implies a purely fanciful explanation of facts or the creation of beings and events out of the imagination. // mythical creatures

fictitious

adjective

fik-ˈti-shəs

Definition of fictitious next

as in fictional

not real and existing only in the imagination his wartime exploits turned out to be entirely fictitious, as he had never even been in the military

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How is the word fictitious distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of fictitious are apocryphal, fabulous, legendary, and mythical. While all these words mean "having the nature of something imagined or invented," fictitious implies fabrication and suggests artificiality or contrivance more than deliberate falsification or deception.

fictitious characters

When would apocryphal be a good substitute for fictitious?

The words apocryphal and fictitious are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, apocryphal implies an unknown or dubious source or origin or may imply that the thing itself is dubious or inaccurate.

a book that repeats many apocryphal stories

Where would fabulous be a reasonable alternative to fictitious?

The synonyms fabulous and fictitious are sometimes interchangeable, but fabulous stresses the marvelous or incredible character of something without necessarily implying impossibility or actual nonexistence.

a land of fabulous riches

In what contexts can legendary take the place of fictitious?

Although the words legendary and fictitious have much in common, legendary suggests the elaboration of invented details and distortion of historical facts produced by popular tradition.

the legendary exploits of Davy Crockett

When can mythical be used instead of fictitious?

While in some cases nearly identical to fictitious, mythical implies a purely fanciful explanation of facts or the creation of beings and events out of the imagination.

mythical creatures

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 fictitious However, operators often hide behind fictitious or stolen identities and fail to comply with cease-and-desist letters; meanwhile, hosting servers are often untraceable, shielded by anonymization techniques or by being located in countries where legal enforcement is extremely difficult. —

Emma Woollacott, Forbes.com, 27 May 2026 He is charged with one count of unlawful voting by aliens and one count of the procurement, casting, or tabulation of ballots that are known to be materially false, fictitious, or fraudulent under state law. —

Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 19 May 2026 The complaint also alleged payroll fraud, claiming that fictitious employees were being issued paper checks that were delivered to museum insiders. —

Brian Boucher, ARTnews.com, 19 May 2026 David Harbour‘s Chief Jim Hopper is a key figure in Stranger Things‘ fictitious town of Hawkins, Indiana, eventually coming to serve as surrogate father to Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) and helping to unravel the central sci-fi mystery of the Upside Down. —

Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 18 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for fictitious

Recent Examples of Synonyms for fictitious

Adjective

While the heroine in this novel is fictional, readers will be drawn to this mystery set during WWII about codebreaking, and a Nazi threat on American soil.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 26 June 2026
Cue a whole host of dodgy deals and shady string-pulling, not to mention an extramarital affair, as the entirely fictional — but no doubt true to life — character abandons any sense of morality.

— Jon O'Brien, Vulture, 26 June 2026

Definition of fictional

Adjective

In an age of visual and underground detection, why am I delayed at a traffic signal waiting for an imaginary vehicle to enter the intersection?

— Ticked Off, The Orlando Sentinel, 26 June 2026
And what’s a novelist but a fence, furnishing imaginary scenes with choice pieces of reality while obscuring their provenance?

— Julian Lucas, New Yorker, 22 June 2026

Definition of imaginary

Adjective

Not to be outdone, Nintendo released a console of their own, the GameCube, which was a little underappreciated in its heyday, but has reached almost mythical status with the passage of time.

— Austin Perry OutKick, FOXNews.com, 26 June 2026
Since her tragic death at age 36 in 1997, the almost mythical lure of her jewels has only grown.

— Hadley Hall Meares, Vanity Fair, 26 June 2026

Definition of mythical

Adjective

The humanities will survive not by defending an imagined past of disinterested purity, but by demonstrating their necessity in a fractured republic.

— The Atlantic, The Atlantic, 16 June 2026
That is, real, not merely illusory, measures, so that the allure to breach peace for imagined gains is overshadowed.

— Keith Tidman, Baltimore Sun, 15 June 2026