made-up 1 of 2

adjective

ˈmād-ˈəp How to pronounce made-up (audio)
Definition of made-upnext
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

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

made up

2 of 2

verb

past tense of make up
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"

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 made-up
Adjective
That story was 100 percent insane and made-up, and not a word of it is true. — Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Feb. 2026 And there's not one right way to do it, considering the holiday is made-up and the real thing is just around the corner. — Rachel Treisman, NPR, 19 Nov. 2025
Verb
While costs were a little higher than expected, the beat on revenue more than made up for the expense miss. — Jeff Marks, CNBC, 15 Oct. 2026 By comparison, preferred materials made up 37 percent of global cotton production and 12 percent of global polyester production. — Jasmin Malik Chua, Footwear News, 15 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for made-up
Recent Examples of Synonyms for made-up
  1. fictitious
  2. comprised
  3. devised
  4. built
  5. imaginary
  6. composed
  7. concocted
  8. constructed
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
  • These included Villa Viesca, the former summer home of Salvatore and Wanda Ferragamo, and Dimora Ghirlandaio, a resort in Tuscany, both of which comprised the villas where the American envoy stays during the summit.
    — Emily Zemler, Condé Nast Traveler, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Data on the individual market — which is comprised mostly of ACA plans — suggests enrollment fell 16 percent as of March and 18 percent as of June, KFF found.
    — Nathaniel Weixel, The Hill, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of comprised
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
Verb
  • The two built the models that modern central banks use to stabilize the economy, shifting macro policymakers’ focus from big economic variables like inflation and unemployment to the actual decisions of individuals.
    — Dario Marino, Washington Post, 21 Oct. 2026
  • The organization built a political presence in Texas with lobbying and legislative testimony as the state pushed back on transgender ideology in recent years.
    — Hudson Crozier, The Washington Examiner, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of built
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
  • Soundtracks often work in a similar way—music that’s been composed with the idea of accompaniment, melodies that are meant to join with a story already can work perfectly when one is in the midst of creating a character or scene.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Alaska’s core constituency is composed of Natives, fishermen, rural legislators, and unions, with some chamber-of-commerce types mixed in.
    — Zach Helfand, New Yorker, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of composed
Verb
  • These accusations are utter nonsense, concocted from distortions, half-truths and lies.
    — Kathleen Parker, Washington Post, 23 Oct. 2026
  • 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
Definition of concocted
Verb
  • In a statement posted on X, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich stood in front of a bulldozer near the site of the shootout and promised Israel would tear down Palestinian buildings constructed without permits in the area.
    — Sam Metz, Los Angeles Times, 24 Oct. 2026
  • The upper is constructed of a gray mesh with matching suede overlays and translucent TPU side panels.
    — Karla Rodriguez, Footwear News, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of constructed

Browse Nearby Words

made tracks
made-up
made up
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Made-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/made-up. Accessed 26 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of disparate

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

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

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

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

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

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

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
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
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All