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
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
To answer these questions, a group of 15 participants made-up of university students, recent graduates, and young adults, played the four online games mentioned—Valorant, Counter-Strike 2, Overwatch 2, and Fortnite.
—Mia Taylor, Parents, 16 Jan. 2025
Anna Marie De La Fuente, Variety, 4 Oct. 2025
That means that, of those moving to Colorado, millennials made up the largest percentage when compared to other states.
—Center Square, The Washington Examiner, 27 Sep. 2025
But in recent weeks and months, parents are arriving at the delivery room with their minds made up.
—Edith Bracho-Sanchez, CNN Money, 26 Sep. 2025
Rooting them on Most of the giant sequoia’s root system is made up of tiny, threadlike feeders that spread out from the larger roots near the trunk.
—Kurt Snibbe, Oc Register, 20 Sep. 2025
The region is made up of 22 volcanic islands that sit in the southern Atlantic Ocean near Antarctica and are a British Overseas Territory.
—Hollie Silverman, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Sep. 2025
People adjusted their pava hats and clip-on flor de maga flowers, Puerto Rican symbols that made up the evening’s implicit dress code.
—Valerie Trapp, The Atlantic, 20 Sep. 2025
In that year, transportation made up about 17% of total expenditures.
—Ana Teresa Solá, CNBC, 20 Sep. 2025
This year, Wever, Alexander and Christie made up three of Severance’s many nominations, which garnered 27 across the series.
—Liza Esquibias, PEOPLE, 7 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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
To answer these questions, a group of 15 participants made-up of university students, recent graduates, and young adults, played the four online games mentioned—Valorant, Counter-Strike 2, Overwatch 2, and Fortnite.
—Mia Taylor, Parents, 16 Jan. 2025
Verb
Each year, a jury made up of Netflix execs and invited guests selects one Brazilian fiction film from the festival that hasn’t yet landed a streaming deal.
—Anna Marie De La Fuente, Variety, 4 Oct. 2025
That means that, of those moving to Colorado, millennials made up the largest percentage when compared to other states.
—Center Square, The Washington Examiner, 27 Sep. 2025
But in recent weeks and months, parents are arriving at the delivery room with their minds made up.
—Edith Bracho-Sanchez, CNN Money, 26 Sep. 2025
Rooting them on Most of the giant sequoia’s root system is made up of tiny, threadlike feeders that spread out from the larger roots near the trunk.
—Kurt Snibbe, Oc Register, 20 Sep. 2025
The region is made up of 22 volcanic islands that sit in the southern Atlantic Ocean near Antarctica and are a British Overseas Territory.
—Hollie Silverman, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Sep. 2025
People adjusted their pava hats and clip-on flor de maga flowers, Puerto Rican symbols that made up the evening’s implicit dress code.
—Valerie Trapp, The Atlantic, 20 Sep. 2025
In that year, transportation made up about 17% of total expenditures.
—Ana Teresa Solá, CNBC, 20 Sep. 2025
This year, Wever, Alexander and Christie made up three of Severance’s many nominations, which garnered 27 across the series.
—Liza Esquibias, PEOPLE, 7 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for made-up
Adjective
-
Garcia-Hernandez allegedly has convictions for giving fictitious information, evading arrest, driving while intoxicated and fleeing police.—
Lauren Villagran,
USA Today,
26 Sep. 2025
-
Supervisors Janet Nguyen and Don Wagner raised concerns at the board’s Tuesday meeting about fictitious registrations following recent news of a dog that was registered to vote in two recent state elections and a lawsuit by the federal government over noncitizen voter records.—
Claire Wang,
Oc Register,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Of that sum, traditional album sales comprised 39,000, marking Nine Inch Nails’ biggest sales week since 2013.—
Keith Caulfield,
Billboard,
3 Oct. 2025
-
The second most common way professors used Claude was for academic research — this comprised 13% of conversations.—
Lee V. Gaines,
NPR,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
What neither side has devised is an easy offramp to prevent what could become a protracted closure.—
Mary Clare Jalonick,
Fortune,
1 Oct. 2025
-
Prior to Leucippus, earlier scientist-philosophers had devised the concepts of elements as components of reality, and often looked to one component in particular as being the fundamental originator — or arche (ἀρχή) — of all the others.—
Ethan Siegel,
Big Think,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
It is built to handle deliveries ranging from medical kits to drones.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
4 Oct. 2025
-
It was built as part of a $44 million sports complex paid for with a bond approved by school district voters in 2020.—
John Wisely,
Freep.com,
3 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
The Bridge once again hosted a fashion week party in its Milan digs, with the set designed to take guests on an imaginary journey along the Tyrrhenian coast.—
Martino Carrera,
Footwear News,
29 Sep. 2025
-
Soilonic is trying to make a digital token that isn’t just imaginary money.—
Alexandra Harrell,
Sourcing Journal,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The vascular system is composed of two major components, arteries and veins.—
Bryant Stamford,
Louisville Courier Journal,
2 Oct. 2025
-
He’s composed and routinely square to the puck.—
Daniel Nugent-Bowman,
New York Times,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Prosecutors described Sanaa Cunningham’s death as the result of a murder plot concocted by her father and stepmother, Germayne and Lisa Cunningham, following months of abuse and neglect.—
Perry Vandell,
AZCentral.com,
29 Sep. 2025
-
Swartz concocted this massive blockbuster trade idea, which sends Brown to his hometown team, the Atlanta Hawks.—
Ricardo Klein,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The game encouraged competitive streaks, teamwork, and plenty of giggles, with parents noting it was well constructed, self-contained, and easy to store or bring along to grandma’s house.—
Emily Glover,
Parents,
2 Oct. 2025
-
The World of Flight, the name of the basketball-skewed concept, will be located at 1617 Walnut Street in an historic Beaux Arts building constructed in the early 1900s.—
Jean E. Palmieri,
Footwear News,
2 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Made-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/made-up. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.
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