1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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
And that’s very appealing, and it was invented actually shortly after quantum physics was invented. — Quanta Magazine, 17 Sep. 2026 Bubble tea, with its chewy tapioca boba pearls, was invented in Taiwan in the 1980s. — Dee-Ann Durbin, Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2026 That is a prevailing concept since casinos invented slots and sportsbooks created parlays. — Doug Kezirian, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026 Advertisement Greengrass invented Ploughman for the film, but the forces pressing in on him are no invention. — Jp Mangalindan, Time, 11 Sep. 2026 Deep Fission said the demonstration did not require equipment invented, custom-built, or adapted for nuclear service. — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 10 Sep. 2026 The moody music, polygonal characters that feel almost hieroglyphic, and text presented in a mix of English, ancient languages, and invented languages make for a hazy experience. — James Folta, Literary Hub, 9 Sep. 2026 Bear in mind, the all-time high set in 1989—which, for good or ill was the same year Tim Berners-Lee invented the World Wide Web—was 19 million. — Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 9 Sep. 2026 Some competitors invented techniques that other competitors had since adopted and use today. — Bebe Hodges, Cincinnati Enquirer, 9 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for invented
  1. fictitious
  2. devised
  3. fictional
  4. concocted
  5. imaginary
  6. constructed
  7. imagined
  8. mythical
Adjective
  • There have been 28 years between the two films, but in the narrative of the fictitious Owens sisters, only about 10 years should have passed.
    — Danielle Pergament, Allure, 14 Sep. 2026
  • Inspectors have found hundreds of allegedly fictitious facilities, while at least 833 kitchens have been shut down for failing to meet hygiene and sanitation standards.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of fictitious
Verb
  • Davis’s Friday ruling means the government must now disclose who devised the fund’s structure, but the information will not necessarily be made available to the public.
    — Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 5 Sep. 2026
  • Engineers devised a lower-thrust trajectory that saved BepiColombo's mission but delayed its Mercury arrival from December 2025 to November 2026.
    — Josh Dinner, Space.com, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of devised
Adjective
  • The name traces back to Mary Jane, a fictional character in Richard Felton Outcault’s Buster Brown comic strip which debuted in 1902, who often appeared wearing the now iconic shoe style.
    — Jessica Chapel, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 Sep. 2026
  • But while the series is set in a fictional New England island community, many of its recognizable sights can be found just an hour north of Boston in Rockport, Massachusetts.
    — Aaron Parseghian, CBS News, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of fictional
Verb
  • But this is largely a myth, concocted by critics and cool kids to explain away and undercut the popularity of their music.
    — Grayson Haver Currin, Pitchfork, 30 Aug. 2026
  • In it, Bugliosi lays out the prosecutorial theory — one concocted to put away a man for murder who didn’t actually commit the crimes — that Manson was trying to jump-start a race war, called Helter Skelter.
    — Elisabeth Garber-Paul, Rolling Stone, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of concocted
Adjective
  • Sazan is a rugged place—strewn with rocks and tangles of trees, populated by a large colony of rats, and studded with bunkers built by the Marxist dictator Enver Hoxha to defend against an imaginary invasion.
    — Dexter Filkins, New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2026
  • David extended a hand toward me (imaginary attacks by slow, handshake-wielding maniacs are a martial arts class staple).
    — Johanna Stein, Los Angeles Times, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of imaginary
Verb
  • Counterbalancing him is a young actor cast to play one of the show’s decoys (an excellent Skylar Gisondo), whose guilelessness only magnifies the film’s sense of Hansen as a man constructed entirely out of TV-friendly sheen.
    — Nate Jones, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2026
  • Related Stories Romance, in terms of genre, is a first for the idiosyncratic director who has often constructed his films around his own persona, appearing as the central character.
    — Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of constructed
Adjective
  • Johnson plays Monroe at the height of her fame while Burstyn stars as an imagined version of Monroe later in life.
    — Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 5 Sep. 2026
  • And this year’s menu reflects some through-the-years favorites, including some that have been re-imagined.
    — Dewayne Bevil, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of imagined
Adjective
  • Only Frenchman Paret-Peintre, winner up the mythical Mont Ventoux at last year’s Tour de France, was able to follow — with the powerful Van Aert easily winning the sprint for the line.
    — Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026
  • The Norway Pavilion once included a ride called Maelstrom, which took riders through the Norwegian fjords with Vikings and mythic trolls.
    — Julie Tremaine, PEOPLE, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of mythical

Browse Nearby Words

invent
invented
inventing
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Invented.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/invented. Accessed 19 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 18
See More

Popular

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
crayons-in-a-circle
Guess the Color Quiz Questions that use the whole box of crayons.
See All