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
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
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Recent Examples of made-up
Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 4 Mar. 2026
Cook said his team detected a variety of age manipulation: synthetic fraud, in which real, stolen and made-up information is used to create a new identity; identity fraud; and document fraud.
—Nick Penzenstadler, USA Today, 13 Feb. 2026
That story was 100 percent insane and made-up, and not a word of it is true.
—Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Feb. 2026
Vietnam had an imaginary Gulf of Tonkin attack; Trump has made-up drug cartels.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 14 Jan. 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
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
Mike Snider, USA TODAY, 26 Mar. 2026
In April 2024, Castillo solicited euthanasia with an independent body in Catalonia made up of doctors, lawyers and bioethics experts who deliberate on the application of Spain’s law.
—ABC News, 26 Mar. 2026
The research team, made up of marine biologists and scientists from a variety of international programs, analyzed blood samples from 85 sharks of five different species.
—Kerry Breen, CBS News, 26 Mar. 2026
The team is made up of trainers, nutrition coaches, and wellness pros, so meals are timed, hikes are guided, and massages are scheduled.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 19 Mar. 2026
Then there’s the fact that, much like the Heated Rivalry fandom and romance-genre readers in general, the PWHL fandom is largely made up of women.
—Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 19 Mar. 2026
The 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), made up of at least 2,200 marines, is expected to deploy from San Diego in the coming days, sooner than they were scheduled to leave, the people said.
—Raf Sanchez, NBC news, 19 Mar. 2026
Christopher Sanchez, Luis Severino, Brayan Bello and Sandy Alcantara made up the rotation while the bullpen features the likes of Gregory Soto, Camilo Doval and Seranthony Dominguez among others.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 12 Mar. 2026
The Panthers have made up ground with their roster by targeting top-tier talent at non-premium positions in free agency.
—Mike Kaye
march 12, Charlotte Observer, 12 Mar. 2026
Adjective
During his interview, Newsom spoke about his ongoing and very public feud with Trump, who received the inaugural (and made-up) FIFA Peace Prize in December.
—Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 4 Mar. 2026
Cook said his team detected a variety of age manipulation: synthetic fraud, in which real, stolen and made-up information is used to create a new identity; identity fraud; and document fraud.
—Nick Penzenstadler, USA Today, 13 Feb. 2026
That story was 100 percent insane and made-up, and not a word of it is true.
—Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Feb. 2026
Vietnam had an imaginary Gulf of Tonkin attack; Trump has made-up drug cartels.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 14 Jan. 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
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
Verb
The Saja Boys, a boy band made up of demons, attempt to disrupt that mission.
—Mike Snider, USA TODAY, 26 Mar. 2026
In April 2024, Castillo solicited euthanasia with an independent body in Catalonia made up of doctors, lawyers and bioethics experts who deliberate on the application of Spain’s law.
—ABC News, 26 Mar. 2026
The research team, made up of marine biologists and scientists from a variety of international programs, analyzed blood samples from 85 sharks of five different species.
—Kerry Breen, CBS News, 26 Mar. 2026
The team is made up of trainers, nutrition coaches, and wellness pros, so meals are timed, hikes are guided, and massages are scheduled.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 19 Mar. 2026
Then there’s the fact that, much like the Heated Rivalry fandom and romance-genre readers in general, the PWHL fandom is largely made up of women.
—Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 19 Mar. 2026
The 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), made up of at least 2,200 marines, is expected to deploy from San Diego in the coming days, sooner than they were scheduled to leave, the people said.
—Raf Sanchez, NBC news, 19 Mar. 2026
Christopher Sanchez, Luis Severino, Brayan Bello and Sandy Alcantara made up the rotation while the bullpen features the likes of Gregory Soto, Camilo Doval and Seranthony Dominguez among others.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 12 Mar. 2026
The Panthers have made up ground with their roster by targeting top-tier talent at non-premium positions in free agency.
—Mike Kaye
march 12, Charlotte Observer, 12 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for made-up
Adjective
-
One requires election records to be maintained for 22 months, while the other prohibits procuring, casting or tabulating false, fictitious or fraudulent ballots.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Rogen, who in the show plays fictitious studio head Matt Remick, briefly attended the festival in September to do research.—
Nick Vivarelli,
Variety,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The current Pentagon press corps is comprised mostly of conservative outlets that agreed to the policy.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
6 Mar. 2026
-
The Justice Department initially said that its release, made in response to a law passed by Congress compelling the agency to disclose nearly all files related to Epstein, comprised more than 3 million pages.—
Elliott Ramos,
CBS News,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Suno devised all the vocals, instrumentation, arrangements, production, mixing and mastering for all of Tempchin’s songs on both those albums.—
George Varga,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
22 Mar. 2026
-
The Tonight Show devised a game that seems more at home on Nickelodeon than NBC.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
20 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Lucas deliberately built this team to defend, crash the boards, get second-chance points, and get to the free throw line as often as possible.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
22 Mar. 2026
-
Cliff swallows traditionally built their nests on vertical cliff faces.—
Kurt Snibbe,
Oc Register,
21 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Bensley infuses his design with imaginary stories—in this case about adventurers, their steamer trunks emblazoned with fictitious initials.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
17 Mar. 2026
-
Mom screams at Jane for being too old to have imaginary friends.—
Maggie Fremont,
Vulture,
16 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
In a study published March 2026 in the journal Nature Communications, our team of physicists and geoscientists investigated ilmenite, a mineral composed of iron, titanium and oxygen, in a Moon rock crystallized from an ancient lunar magma.—
Emily First,
The Conversation,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Kodály’s Romanian Folk Dances, composed in 1915 for piano and arranged for orchestra two years later, occupy a mere six minutes.—
Scott Cantrell,
Dallas Morning News,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
When the Covid-19 pandemic hit, scientists identified the virus, deciphered its secrets, concocted a vaccine, put it into production, and rendered the disease manageable – all within a year.—
David Blumenthal,
Fortune,
24 Mar. 2026
-
Wholesome content, but entirely concocted.—
Jake Kanter,
Deadline,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Located on the west side of the district, the schools were constructed up to 102 years ago.—
Eleanor Nash,
Kansas City Star,
28 Mar. 2026
-
Operated by Heartland Fire and Rescue, the station is located in Fletcher Hills and was constructed in 1960 with a single apparatus bay and a shared dormitory.—
Hannah Elsmore,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
27 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Made-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/made-up. Accessed 29 Mar. 2026.
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