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
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
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
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
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for made-up
Adjective
-
The cartoon’s title character’s appearance was based on the movie star Rita Hayworth, and surrounded by a varied cast of colorful co-workers to populate the fictitious Chicago newsroom where Brenda was employed.—
Philip Potempa,
Chicago Tribune,
13 Mar. 2026
-
Philadelphia courts issued a fraud alert Saturday about fictitious text messages that appear to come from the city's traffic division.—
Terra Sullivan,
CBS News,
7 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
-
The Sheats-Goldstein residence—an experiment in indoor-outdoor living originally devised by architect John Lautner and realized in concrete and glass in 1963—is perched at the far end of a road in the secluded Beverly Crest neighborhood.—
Talia Abbas,
Vogue,
11 Mar. 2026
-
ClubElo is a ranking system devised and maintained by Lars Schiefler, based on the same methodology used in chess rankings.—
Conor O'Neill,
New York Times,
10 Mar. 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
-
Colin Stetson composed the score.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
13 Mar. 2026
-
The fact that the team is almost entirely composed of Americans with Italian heritage is by now well-known and lovingly mocked on both sides of the Atlantic.—
Sara Germano,
Sportico.com,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
An epoxy compound is concocted to replace discs between vertebrae and other cartilaginous elements, so the animal returns to its original dimensions and structure.—
Jeff Wilson,
Outdoor Life,
11 Mar. 2026
-
Arias and her mother concocted the treat to resemble a large pink cupcake with sprinkles.—
Patricia Gallagher Newberry,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
28 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Instead, it was constructed with the president’s own hands, on the day the court offered him the tools to dismantle it.—
Jay Caruso,
The Washington Examiner,
13 Mar. 2026
-
Project Cardinal, which already secured preliminary approval from the city in November, would be made up of 14 buildings, Olson said, with one to two buildings constructed per year as the campus is built out.—
Molly Morrow,
Chicago Tribune,
13 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Made-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/made-up. Accessed 14 Mar. 2026.
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