as in fictitious
not real and existing only in the imagination
the bogeyman was one of those made-up monsters whose sole purpose was to threaten children
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in comprised
to be all the substance of
the book is made up of 20 chapters
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in devised
to create or think of by clever use of the imagination
she keeps making up excuses as to why she hasn't yet finished the project
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in built
to form by putting together parts or materials
we'll have to make up the bookcase, which came in a box marked "some assembly required"
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of made-up
Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 2025
Because a lot of things on reality TV are made-up situations and scenarios to provoke reactions and all of that stuff.
—Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 2 Aug. 2025
Something more insidious is at play with all of the half-baked or made-up statistics.
—Lisa Jarvis, Mercury News, 6 June 2025
The irony is that it is accepted that the tabloids found in the grocery store checkout aisle are often made-up or greatly exaggerated.
—Peter Suciu, Forbes.com, 5 June 2025
American agricultural products once made-up 40 percent of China's market; that amount has fallen below 20 percent.
—John W. Dean, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Apr. 2025
Canons are as made-up as the stories that are part of them, so Dark Forces still has value as part of an old continuity that remains fun and quite wacky at times.
—Fran Ruiz, Space.com, 7 Mar. 2025
According to Jackson, our completely made-up (but almost certainly accurate) mythology for the ABC sudser isn’t necessarily dead in the water.
—Claire Franken, TVLine, 4 Mar. 2025
To answer these questions, a group of 15 participants made-up of university students, recent graduates, and young adults, played the four online games mentioned—Valorant, Counter-Strike 2, Overwatch 2, and Fortnite.
—Mia Taylor, Parents, 16 Jan. 2025
Liza Esquibias, PEOPLE, 7 Sep. 2025
Near 51st Avenue and McDowell Road, a line of about 30 people formed outside Abel Mortuary Funeral Services, made up of those closest to 16-year-old Montoya before he was killed in late August.
—Rey Covarrubias Jr, AZCentral.com, 6 Sep. 2025
One such robot, able to grab and stack plastic bricks using a custom claw, was built by The Clueless, a team made up of students from different high schools.
—Kelly Davis, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 Aug. 2025
Canadians made up about 28% of total international visitor arrivals in 2024.
—Natasha Chen, CNN Money, 31 Aug. 2025
Hundreds of protestors made up of largely of local political and grass-root groups, and a smattering of accredited festival guests, marched across the Venice Lido on Saturday in support of Palestine and to denounce Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 31 Aug. 2025
Black Hoosiers, the second-largest racial group behind white Hoosiers, made up less than one-third of the district.
—Alexandra Kukulka, Chicago Tribune, 31 Aug. 2025
At the time, Black people made up 67% of the city’s population.
—Richard A. Webster, ProPublica, 25 Aug. 2025
The Enquirer identified four gangs of Chilean nationals and a fifth gang made up of at least two Colombians, all believed to be part of the ring.
—Bebe Hodges, The Enquirer, 25 Aug. 2025
Adjective
And while OpenAI’s defenders could chalk that up to an isolated or even made-up incident, within 24 hours of the GPT-5 launch Altman was doing damage control, seemingly caught of guard by the bad reception.
—Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 2025
Because a lot of things on reality TV are made-up situations and scenarios to provoke reactions and all of that stuff.
—Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 2 Aug. 2025
Something more insidious is at play with all of the half-baked or made-up statistics.
—Lisa Jarvis, Mercury News, 6 June 2025
The irony is that it is accepted that the tabloids found in the grocery store checkout aisle are often made-up or greatly exaggerated.
—Peter Suciu, Forbes.com, 5 June 2025
American agricultural products once made-up 40 percent of China's market; that amount has fallen below 20 percent.
—John W. Dean, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Apr. 2025
Canons are as made-up as the stories that are part of them, so Dark Forces still has value as part of an old continuity that remains fun and quite wacky at times.
—Fran Ruiz, Space.com, 7 Mar. 2025
According to Jackson, our completely made-up (but almost certainly accurate) mythology for the ABC sudser isn’t necessarily dead in the water.
—Claire Franken, TVLine, 4 Mar. 2025
To answer these questions, a group of 15 participants made-up of university students, recent graduates, and young adults, played the four online games mentioned—Valorant, Counter-Strike 2, Overwatch 2, and Fortnite.
—Mia Taylor, Parents, 16 Jan. 2025
Verb
This year, Wever, Alexander and Christie made up three of Severance’s many nominations, which garnered 27 across the series.
—Liza Esquibias, PEOPLE, 7 Sep. 2025
Near 51st Avenue and McDowell Road, a line of about 30 people formed outside Abel Mortuary Funeral Services, made up of those closest to 16-year-old Montoya before he was killed in late August.
—Rey Covarrubias Jr, AZCentral.com, 6 Sep. 2025
One such robot, able to grab and stack plastic bricks using a custom claw, was built by The Clueless, a team made up of students from different high schools.
—Kelly Davis, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 Aug. 2025
Canadians made up about 28% of total international visitor arrivals in 2024.
—Natasha Chen, CNN Money, 31 Aug. 2025
Hundreds of protestors made up of largely of local political and grass-root groups, and a smattering of accredited festival guests, marched across the Venice Lido on Saturday in support of Palestine and to denounce Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 31 Aug. 2025
Black Hoosiers, the second-largest racial group behind white Hoosiers, made up less than one-third of the district.
—Alexandra Kukulka, Chicago Tribune, 31 Aug. 2025
At the time, Black people made up 67% of the city’s population.
—Richard A. Webster, ProPublica, 25 Aug. 2025
The Enquirer identified four gangs of Chilean nationals and a fifth gang made up of at least two Colombians, all believed to be part of the ring.
—Bebe Hodges, The Enquirer, 25 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for made-up
Adjective
-
As Newton soon learned, there is a long runway between playing a fictitious, Regency-era ladies’ man and becoming one of the most recognizable designers in pop culture.—
José Criales-Unzueta,
Vogue,
5 Sep. 2025
-
The film is set in New Mexico, in the fictitious title town—population of two thousand four hundred and thirty-five, according to a road sign—where the election year sees the mayor also up for reëlection.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The first release of UCISD material on August 11 comprised 3,547 pages of material, categorized by the relevant person or subject.—
Matthew J. Friedman,
CNN Money,
4 Sep. 2025
-
Last year, restricted stock and performance stock comprised 76% of Barra's total 2024 compensation, Cain said.—
Jackie Charniga,
Freep.com,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Ken Goldberg, a University of California, Berkeley professor, devised a novel solution to bridge this gap.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
2 Sep. 2025
-
Einstein’s theory of relativity is one of the most mind-bending theories ever devised.—
Don Lincoln,
Big Think,
29 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
But there’s also an accusation that a venue built for the 2012 Olympics lacks character and feels soulless compared to the club’s old home.—
Richard Sutcliffe,
New York Times,
6 Sep. 2025
-
Speaking to the crowd before the march, Eve Devitt, an Idaho human rights activist, said that LGBTQ+ history is built on fighting for rights, which makes the community stronger.—
Shannon Tyler,
Idaho Statesman,
6 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Steve Young lifts his arm, holding an imaginary football, preparing to throw.—
Seth Wickersham,
The Atlantic,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Moreover, her five-letter titles refer to satellite navigation waypoints and fixes for aircraft flying in clouds or at night, that offer passage to imaginary locations defined by the interception of magnetic vectors drawn from the earth’s poles.—
Natasha Gural,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
What To Know The Chinese military parade featured a formation composed of three air defense missile systems—the HQ-11, the HQ-20 and the HQ-22A—and three anti-ballistic missile systems—the HQ-9C, the HQ-19 and the HQ-29—the state-run Global Times reported.—
Ryan Chan,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Sep. 2025
-
The initiative includes community advisory councils composed of teens and women, alongside mental health research experts and clinical psychologists, who provide guidance grounded in science and lived experience.—
Nia Bowers,
USA Today,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
To solve this problem, materials scientists at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore have concocted a new sunscreen recipe that spares the ocean’s vital microorganisms.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
4 Sep. 2025
-
On paper, Dallas has the tools to do just that, but NBA insider Zach Buckley, of Bleacher Report, has concocted a trade proposal that sees the Mavericks strengthen their forward position.—
Ricardo Klein,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
As the fireline is constructed, inspected or reinforced, mappers record those details to adjust the containment percentage.—
CA WILDFIRE BOT,
Sacbee.com,
5 Sep. 2025
-
The fabric is specifically constructed to be soft and stretchy for maximum comfort.—
Izzy Baskette,
PEOPLE,
4 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Made-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/made-up. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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