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"
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of made-up
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
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
Meg Tirrell, CNN Money, 5 Mar. 2026
The city of Havana, made up of fewer than 300 people, came together to look for Robert.
—Meghan O'Brien, NBC news, 19 Feb. 2026
In these squabbles, lies are told, stories are made up and the mantra that there are two sides to everything is proven false.
—Dave Lieber, Dallas Morning News, 19 Feb. 2026
The crews, made up of 15 foreign nationals, were taken into custody and referred to Iran’s judicial authorities, according to Iranian state media.
—Emma Bussey, FOXNews.com, 6 Feb. 2026
The archipelago off East Africa is made up of 115 different islands—including one that’s home to what’s perhaps the most photogenic beach in the world.
—Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 5 Feb. 2026
Ward and Kathryn Ausere, a sophomore chemical engineering major from Canton, made up the two-person team that earned silver in the two-way formation competition.
—Kels Dayton, Hartford Courant, 5 Feb. 2026
Movies made up just over 40% of the overall spend on both film and high-end TV in the UK last year.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 5 Feb. 2026
Cramer, in particular, praised Meta’s advertising business, which made up 97% of overall revenue for the quarter.
—Morgan Chittum, CNBC, 29 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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
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
Verb
UniQure had hoped to make a submission to the FDA using data from an earlier trial that suggested its therapy slowed disease progression compared with an external control group made up of people with Huntington’s who weren’t in the study.
—Meg Tirrell, CNN Money, 5 Mar. 2026
The city of Havana, made up of fewer than 300 people, came together to look for Robert.
—Meghan O'Brien, NBC news, 19 Feb. 2026
In these squabbles, lies are told, stories are made up and the mantra that there are two sides to everything is proven false.
—Dave Lieber, Dallas Morning News, 19 Feb. 2026
The crews, made up of 15 foreign nationals, were taken into custody and referred to Iran’s judicial authorities, according to Iranian state media.
—Emma Bussey, FOXNews.com, 6 Feb. 2026
The archipelago off East Africa is made up of 115 different islands—including one that’s home to what’s perhaps the most photogenic beach in the world.
—Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 5 Feb. 2026
Ward and Kathryn Ausere, a sophomore chemical engineering major from Canton, made up the two-person team that earned silver in the two-way formation competition.
—Kels Dayton, Hartford Courant, 5 Feb. 2026
Movies made up just over 40% of the overall spend on both film and high-end TV in the UK last year.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 5 Feb. 2026
Cramer, in particular, praised Meta’s advertising business, which made up 97% of overall revenue for the quarter.
—Morgan Chittum, CNBC, 29 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for made-up
Adjective
-
To ventriloquize one’s parent is a bold move, and fictitious Barbara would absolutely read it as a betrayal.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Who wants to sit through a fictitious novelist’s clumsy drafts?—
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Feb. 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
-
Conrad and Dial showed still images to the others at the jail, and devised a plan of capture should the man return.—
James Verini,
New Yorker,
2 Mar. 2026
-
Still, scientists have devised clever ways to investigate how sleep and dreams can affect us.—
Veronique Greenwood,
Time,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The 80-foot-long grinning behemoth floating in a roadside pond was built as an anniversary gift for the owner’s whale-loving wife.—
Zoey Goto,
Travel + Leisure,
8 Mar. 2026
-
With Xi’s approval, momentum built quickly.—
Chang Che,
New Yorker,
8 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Nobody has ever called Brentford head coach Keith Andrews a magical or imaginary being.—
Tim Spiers,
New York Times,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Circumpolar stars Astronomers use a common set of reference points to project Earth’s north and south poles, and the equator, onto the celestial sphere, an imaginary sphere encompassing the sky.—
Vahe Peroomian,
The Conversation,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Bruce Beach, Guinea-Bissau The Bijagós archipelago, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve located off the coast of Guinea-Bissau, is composed of 88 islands, but only about 20 are permanently inhabited.—
Melanie van Zyl,
Travel + Leisure,
6 Mar. 2026
-
An advisory task force, composed of local leaders including TI foundation executive director Andy Smith, released recommendations for DBDT in September aimed at fostering accountability and rebuilding trust in its next chapter.—
Uwa Ede-Osifo,
Dallas Morning News,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Arias and her mother concocted the treat to resemble a large pink cupcake with sprinkles.—
Patricia Gallagher Newberry,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
28 Feb. 2026
-
Since the advent of TV and radio, public figures have concocted deliberate soundbites to stick out and persuade the public.—
Charles Trepany,
USA Today,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The bridges for College Avenue, Capitol Avenue and Meridian Street on Fall Creek were all constructed in the early 1900s.—
IndyStar,
IndyStar,
6 Mar. 2026
-
The train was never constructed, and Split-Rocker is maybe better for the museum at the end of the day.—
Nate Freeman,
Vanity Fair,
6 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Made-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/made-up. Accessed 9 Mar. 2026.
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