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
Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 14 May 2026
Regardless, much of the developing world is made up of much younger countries, with populations in Africa, for example, at much lower risk of serious outcomes from COVID-19 than elderly individuals with comorbidities in the United States or Western Europe.
—Ian Miller Outkick, FOXNews.com, 8 May 2026
His district currently is made up of nearly 50% Black voters and provided a greater than 60% vote for Democrat Kamala Harris in 2024 presidential election.
—Travis Loller, Los Angeles Times, 7 May 2026
Fitbit made up about 6% of the global wristband market in 2025, followed by Whoop at 2%, according to data from IDC.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 7 May 2026
After a five-month, 120-game regular season featuring record crowds, women’s hockey enjoying a significant post-Olympic boost and with more expansion on the horizon, the Walter Cup playoff semifinalists are made up exclusively of the league’s old guard.
—John Wawrow, Twin Cities, 30 Apr. 2026
The game will be made up on Thursday as part of a split doubleheader.
—Laura Fay, CBS News, 29 Apr. 2026
The guidelines were approved last year by a controversial German church governing body made up of the German bishops’ conference and a Catholic lay group that has been working to have a greater say in church decision-making.
—Nicole Winfield, Fortune, 23 Apr. 2026
Dreamy beds are made up with covetable Rivolta Carmignani linens.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Apr. 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 rest of the cast is also made up of non-professional actors.
—Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 14 May 2026
Regardless, much of the developing world is made up of much younger countries, with populations in Africa, for example, at much lower risk of serious outcomes from COVID-19 than elderly individuals with comorbidities in the United States or Western Europe.
—Ian Miller Outkick, FOXNews.com, 8 May 2026
His district currently is made up of nearly 50% Black voters and provided a greater than 60% vote for Democrat Kamala Harris in 2024 presidential election.
—Travis Loller, Los Angeles Times, 7 May 2026
Fitbit made up about 6% of the global wristband market in 2025, followed by Whoop at 2%, according to data from IDC.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 7 May 2026
After a five-month, 120-game regular season featuring record crowds, women’s hockey enjoying a significant post-Olympic boost and with more expansion on the horizon, the Walter Cup playoff semifinalists are made up exclusively of the league’s old guard.
—John Wawrow, Twin Cities, 30 Apr. 2026
The game will be made up on Thursday as part of a split doubleheader.
—Laura Fay, CBS News, 29 Apr. 2026
The guidelines were approved last year by a controversial German church governing body made up of the German bishops’ conference and a Catholic lay group that has been working to have a greater say in church decision-making.
—Nicole Winfield, Fortune, 23 Apr. 2026
Dreamy beds are made up with covetable Rivolta Carmignani linens.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for made-up
Adjective
-
Paul Dano is spin doctor and adviser Vadim Baranov, a fictitious character loosely inspired by real-life Russian politician Vladislav Surkov.—
Jill Goldsmith,
Deadline,
15 May 2026
-
That was a role model of a fictitious kind.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
The suited style was comprised of a tuxedo, bowtie and cummerbund.—
Julia Teti,
Footwear News,
9 May 2026
-
This open architecture system is comprised of multifunction control consoles and Remote Terminal Units (RTU).—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
9 May 2026
Verb
-
The diner offers certificates of completion for those who finish the trek, and devised a burger named for the route.—
Stephanie Breijo,
Los Angeles Times,
12 May 2026
-
Sashko helped settle new arrivals and soon devised other useful projects.—
James Verini,
The Atlantic,
12 May 2026
Verb
-
Stronger communities are built when mental-health services move beyond one-size-fits-all approaches and recognize the emotional, social, cultural and practical realities people face every day.—
Maria Bledsoe,
The Orlando Sentinel,
17 May 2026
-
Pantelleria Closer to Tunisia than mainland Italy, Pantelleria is a remote volcanic island dotted with traditional dammusi, thick-walled, domed stone dwellings built to keep out the heat.—
Nicky Swallow,
Travel + Leisure,
17 May 2026
Adjective
-
Gaiman works like The Sandman and American Gods have served as inviting gateways to imaginary worlds for multiple generations of readers and viewers.—
Keith Phipps,
Vulture,
13 May 2026
-
By that time Dame Frances had established the idea of theaters of memory—imaginary architectural structures, replete with columns and alcoves and windows, where items can be placed for later recollection.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 May 2026
Verb
-
Its lack of interaction with light means it can't be composed of protons, neutrons and electrons — the particles that compose atoms.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
15 May 2026
-
The council is composed of the international president and five international vice presidents.—
Judy L. Thomas,
Kansas City Star,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
Cocktails are concocted by in-house mixologist, Waguinho, who also invites guests from the local mixology community to arrange tastings.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
7 May 2026
-
For decades, astronomers have concocted intricate computer models to predict how stars live and die.—
Paul Sutter,
Space.com,
3 May 2026
Verb
-
An Example Of Someone Emulating AI I’ve constructed an example to illustrate what some people are doing when veering into this AI emulation milieu.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2026
-
Designed by Chilean architect Felipe Assadi, the 14 villas and main lodge, constructed from native lenga wood, are indistinguishable from the treeline at a distance, a design feature that reflects the immersive ethos at the heart of the hotel.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
14 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Made-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/made-up. Accessed 17 May. 2026.
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