made-up 1 of 2

adjective

ˈmād-ˈəp How to pronounce made-up (audio)
Definition of made-upnext
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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

made up

2 of 2

verb

past tense of make up
1
as in comprised
to be all the substance of the book is made up of 20 chapters

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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

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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"

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of made-up
Adjective
That story was 100 percent insane and made-up, and not a word of it is true. — Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Feb. 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
Verb
After disembarking from the ninth car in the 10-car train — made up of R211 cars, the newest in the subway fleet — Boahene was dragged by the train’s rear carriage, according to the NTSB report. — Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 22 Oct. 2026 The costs were particularly pronounced for employees at small businesses made up of 10 to 99 workers who typically shoulder a larger share of their insurance costs than those at bigger companies. — Fatima Hussein, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for made-up
Recent Examples of Synonyms for made-up
  1. fictitious
  2. comprised
  3. devised
  4. built
  5. imaginary
  6. composed
  7. concocted
  8. constructed
Adjective
  • This Lincolnian view of the war—that the United States was perpetual and that the Confederate States of America was a fictitious, farcical nation—has led to various historical interpretations ever since, among historians and laypeople alike.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 19 Oct. 2026
  • The series will be set in a fictitious Barneys in Beverly Hills, not New York, and the real founding family of the retailer, the Pressman family, has no involvement, the spokesperson said.
    — Jean E. Palmieri, Footwear News, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of fictitious
Verb
  • Introduced in 2018, the V12 Vantage V600 comprised seven coupes and seven convertibles in total.
    — Will Sabel Courtney, Robb Report, 30 Oct. 2026
  • The active management area comprised about 326,000 acre-feet in 2024, most of which was slated for residential use.
    — Gaby Del Valle, The Verge, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of comprised
Verb
  • Composers devised elaborate systems for writing music that ventured deep into dissonance, away from the rules of tonality that had governed it for centuries.
    — Andy Cush, Pitchfork, 31 Oct. 2026
  • Kushner, in a fury, devised the salacious revenge plot that has colored his reputation ever since.
    — Lauren Collins, New Yorker, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of devised
Verb
  • Getty, meanwhile, has built a campaign around how García got into the race, casting himself as an alternative to members of the two powerful parties that dominate national politics while passing few policies at the federal level.
    — Jake Sheridan, Chicago Tribune, 4 Nov. 2026
  • Her grandfather, Colin Smith, was a professional mento musician who played banjo and built rumba boxes.
    — Emma Madden, Pitchfork, 4 Nov. 2026
Definition of built
Adjective
  • The film was a vision of the future refracted through an imaginary past.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 30 Oct. 2026
  • The elimination of the imaginary Kong Mountains and knowledge of a shorter travel distance through the dense tropical forest accelerated French colonization of the region.
    — Thomas J Bassett, The Conversation, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of imaginary
Verb
  • Soundtracks often work in a similar way—music that’s been composed with the idea of accompaniment, melodies that are meant to join with a story already can work perfectly when one is in the midst of creating a character or scene.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Alaska’s core constituency is composed of Natives, fishermen, rural legislators, and unions, with some chamber-of-commerce types mixed in.
    — Zach Helfand, New Yorker, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of composed
Verb
  • These accusations are utter nonsense, concocted from distortions, half-truths and lies.
    — Kathleen Parker, Washington Post, 23 Oct. 2026
  • The White Sox concocted a creative playing style that blended elements of old-school small ball with home-run power.
    — Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of concocted
Verb
  • In a statement posted on X, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich stood in front of a bulldozer near the site of the shootout and promised Israel would tear down Palestinian buildings constructed without permits in the area.
    — Sam Metz, Los Angeles Times, 24 Oct. 2026
  • The upper is constructed of a gray mesh with matching suede overlays and translucent TPU side panels.
    — Karla Rodriguez, Footwear News, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of constructed

Browse Nearby Words

made tracks
made-up
made up
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Cite this Entry

“Made-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/made-up. Accessed 5 Nov. 2026.

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