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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of made-up
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
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
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
More than half of the state's overall revenue picture is made up of an ongoing sales and use tax, which saw a fiscal year-to-year decrease.
—Dominik Dausch, Sioux Falls Argus Leader, 29 Jan. 2026
According to the association, 22% of the state’s foodservice workforce is made up of immigrants.
—Claire Ballor, Dallas Morning News, 29 Jan. 2026
This archetype has been around as long as storytelling itself, but it’s actually made up of several highly differentiated sub-archetypes.
—Literary Hub, 23 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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
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
Verb
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
More than half of the state's overall revenue picture is made up of an ongoing sales and use tax, which saw a fiscal year-to-year decrease.
—Dominik Dausch, Sioux Falls Argus Leader, 29 Jan. 2026
According to the association, 22% of the state’s foodservice workforce is made up of immigrants.
—Claire Ballor, Dallas Morning News, 29 Jan. 2026
This archetype has been around as long as storytelling itself, but it’s actually made up of several highly differentiated sub-archetypes.
—Literary Hub, 23 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for made-up
Adjective
-
Comulate also invented a fictitious insurance agent named Jordan Bates, who purported to work for PBC and who interacted with Applied Systems salespeople through email (with a Phoenix Benefits email domain) to create a customer account on Applied’s Epic.—
John Hyatt,
Forbes.com,
30 Jan. 2026
-
In a comparable case in the United States in 2023, a federal judge imposed $5,000 fines on two lawyers and a law firm after ChatGPT was blamed for their submission of fictitious legal research in an aviation injury claim.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
In April 1943, the minister for justice issued prohibition orders against the final four volumes of Proust’s work (whose English translation, then published under the title Remembrance of Things Past, comprised twelve volumes in total).—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
2 Feb. 2026
-
Since arriving, Jaissle has fielded teams comprised partly of recognisable names, all on decadent wages, and more modest players.—
Sebastian Stafford-Bloor,
New York Times,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The show features 52 images from the museum’s collection dating from 1860 to 1940, all of which were devised using collage or montage.—
Lianne Kolirin,
CNN Money,
5 Feb. 2026
-
So that problematic defense has come around, thanks to whatever Mike Brown, his coaching staff and the players have devised or re-emphasized together.—
Zach Harper,
New York Times,
2 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
While others focus on urban shuttles, Helix is built for single-person recreation, short-hop travel and specialized missions.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
8 Feb. 2026
-
The custom residence at 4128 Veneto Drive in Frisco’s Griffin Parc, built by Huntington Homes, is ready for a new family.—
Lynn Slaney Silguero,
Dallas Morning News,
7 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Finally, the researchers did another version of the original test but used imaginary grapes instead of juice, with similar results.—
Evan Bush,
NBC news,
5 Feb. 2026
-
Unfortunately, the new love in your life may be imaginary and only after your bank account.—
C. A. Bridges,
Florida Times-Union,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Early on in cosmic history, the Universe was composed primarily of hydrogen and helium, as no substantial quantities of heavier elements were formed during the early stages of the hot Big Bang.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
6 Feb. 2026
-
Their proposal calls for an entity composed of representatives of the council, civil society and a judge from the Haiti's High Court, along with the appointment of a new prime minister.—
JACQUELINE CHARLES MIAMI HERALD,
Arkansas Online,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Paul Simon, who was headed to retirement amid debilitating hearing loss, has concocted a helpful new stage monitor setup that has him back on the road.—
BRIAN MCCOLLUM,
Freep.com,
4 Feb. 2026
-
Galen concocted medicines that seem strange to modern ears, such as treating ailments like inflammation with feces sprinkled with thyme to mask the odor.—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
While it was made in the ‘90s, the collection (which showed slip dresses, shirts with undulating ruffles, and jacquard silk jackets constructed to look permanently burst-open) was inspired by the romance between Napoleon Bonaparte and his wife Josephine.—
Leah Dolan,
CNN Money,
6 Feb. 2026
-
Originally constructed in 1952, the property was designated a historic and cultural landmark in 2024.—
Nick Wooten,
Dallas Morning News,
6 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Made-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/made-up. Accessed 8 Feb. 2026.
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