invented 1 of 2

adjective

as in fictitious
not real and existing only in the imagination a daydreamer who lives mostly in her invented magic kingdom

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invented

2 of 2

verb

past tense of invent
as in devised
to create or think of by clever use of the imagination they invented an explanation for the broken vase that would satisfy their grandmother

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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 invented
Verb
The United States invented the airplane but had no national aviation policy, and Europe was pulling ahead. — Neil Chatterjee, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026 Cooke samples an absorbing range of hoaxes, from the college students who convinced the world that an imaginary Scotsman had invented the electric toaster to the Chinese housewife who fabricated an entire war out of boredom. — Julian Lucas, New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2026 The United Kingdom invented aniline dye, but Germany commercialized it, to give one example. — Niall Ferguson, Foreign Affairs, 20 Oct. 2026 Claude invented that reference while presenting itself as someone who might have witnessed something relevant to the investigation. — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 19 Oct. 2026 Friday the 13th invented the subgenre and remains horrifying to this day. — Rebekah Faubion, PEOPLE, 17 Oct. 2026 Liabilities Caused By Wrong Answers One policy, price or refund rule invented by your AI system is enough to create a legal problem for your business. — Klaudia Zaika, Forbes.com, 16 Oct. 2026 Swipe-pay is vulnerable to theft because the magnetic stripe behind cards does a poor job of securing personal information, according to Scott Schober, the CEO of Berkeley Varitronics Systems who has invented several skimming detectors. — Juliana Kim, NPR, 14 Oct. 2026 That’s a lot, coming from the babe who invented the beloved Capri Sour. — Amanda Lee Koe, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for invented
  1. fictitious
  2. devised
  3. fictional
  4. concocted
  5. imaginary
  6. constructed
  7. imagined
  8. mythical
Adjective
  • This Lincolnian view of the war—that the United States was perpetual and that the Confederate States of America was a fictitious, farcical nation—has led to various historical interpretations ever since, among historians and laypeople alike.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 19 Oct. 2026
  • The series will be set in a fictitious Barneys in Beverly Hills, not New York, and the real founding family of the retailer, the Pressman family, has no involvement, the spokesperson said.
    — Jean E. Palmieri, Footwear News, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of fictitious
Verb
  • Kamran Pasha has devised a truly unique take that honors the source material while expanding it in an enthralling, unexpected way.
    — Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Designed for twice-daily use, the cream is meant to be applied with a massage ritual the brand devised just for the cream—a final touch on its feel-good MO.
    — Jenny Berg, Vogue, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of devised
Adjective
  • The novel was also partly epistolary, including segments of fictional court transcripts and news coverage created by King (who enjoyed mimicking different writing styles).
    — ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 21 Oct. 2026
  • The film—based on the 2014 play Switzerland by Joanna Murray-Smith—sets a fictional scene in the final chapter of Highsmith’s life.
    — Alex Jhamb Burns, Vogue, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of fictional
Verb
  • The White Sox concocted a creative playing style that blended elements of old-school small ball with home-run power.
    — Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Martha’s concocted plenty over the years, including her cider-bourbon cocktail made with apple cider, bourbon, lemon juice, ginger, and apple garnishes.
    — Wendy Rose Gould, Martha Stewart, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of concocted
Adjective
  • The wealth tax opponents have applied the age-old technique of mustering superficially plausible, but largely imaginary, consequences of passage.
    — Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026
  • The genre gave him considerably more freedom to invent architectural settings, mixing classical ruins, waterways, and figures into elaborate imaginary landscapes.
    — Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of imaginary
Verb
  • Consider a few clues in today’s crossword, constructed by Adam Shapiro.
    — New York Times, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Sheerazie, lead gardener at Pasadena’s Arlington Garden, has studied permaculture and designed and constructed a number of swales at the garden and elsewhere.
    — Pedro Moura, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of constructed
Adjective
  • The second scenario in the speculative design research is built around an imagined service called Paren’t, which proposes to preserve a parent’s AI-powered postmortem presence for their child.
    — Lissa Soep, Vox, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Drawn to the tactile and familiar qualities of paper, Teo uses playful forms and visual metaphors to transform everyday subjects and construct whimsical, imagined worlds.
    — New York Times Games, New York Times, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of imagined
Adjective
  • Basquiat himself was the star of Downtown 81, playing a mythic version of himself.
    — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 21 Oct. 2026
  • In their utopian reconstruction of a mythic past, the Agrarians’ polemics failed to mention the South’s legacies of slavery and rebellion.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of mythical

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Cite this Entry

“Invented.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/invented. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.

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