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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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
Geis’ remains were found by a team made up of local volunteers, according to Irfan Arshad Khan, president of the Alpine Club of Pakistan. — ABC News, 21 Aug. 2026 Capital funds for the region next year are expected to total more than $2 billion, a bucket made up of cash from federal, state and local sources. — Talia Soglin, Chicago Tribune, 20 Aug. 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
  • Inspectors have found hundreds of allegedly fictitious facilities, while at least 833 kitchens have been shut down for failing to meet hygiene and sanitation standards.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 5 Sep. 2026
  • The character of Luciano is fictitious, just as that of Fersen is inspired by various people in Meier’s entourage during those years.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of fictitious
Verb
  • After the invention of the internal combustion engine in 1885, the auto industry had comprised skilled laborers producing a few bespoke vehicles—affordable only to an upper stratum of society.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Marchino was one of four judges who comprised the court’s ruling panel for the hearing, which lasted all day on Tuesday August 25 at the FIA’s headquarters in Paris, France.
    — Madeline Coleman, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of comprised
Verb
  • Davis’s Friday ruling means the government must now disclose who devised the fund’s structure, but the information will not necessarily be made available to the public.
    — Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 5 Sep. 2026
  • Engineers devised a lower-thrust trajectory that saved BepiColombo's mission but delayed its Mercury arrival from December 2025 to November 2026.
    — Josh Dinner, Space.com, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of devised
Verb
  • In South Korea, Chipotle and its local partner built a supply chain designed to meet the company’s global food quality standards.
    — Jenny Lee, CNBC, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Rutgers has spent more, built more depth and remade its defense.
    — The Athletic College Football Staff, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of built
Adjective
  • Where teams already afforded every advantage are now given the gift of imaginary time.
    — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 6 Sep. 2026
  • The equinox occurs when the sun’s center passes through the imaginary line from the north to the south.
    — Alexiah Syrai Olsen, Idaho Statesman, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of imaginary
Verb
  • The character is composed of only the broadest of strokes, thinly defined by toughness, trauma, and uncomfortable motherhood, runoff of the stew that formed characters like Ripley.
    — Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 4 Sep. 2026
  • The second saw Isak recalibrate his run in behind a couple of times before latching onto Gakpo’s trivela pass, staying composed as a defender and Scherpen got close before sliding a shot home with his left foot.
    — Gregg Evans, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of composed
Verb
  • But this is largely a myth, concocted by critics and cool kids to explain away and undercut the popularity of their music.
    — Grayson Haver Currin, Pitchfork, 30 Aug. 2026
  • In it, Bugliosi lays out the prosecutorial theory — one concocted to put away a man for murder who didn’t actually commit the crimes — that Manson was trying to jump-start a race war, called Helter Skelter.
    — Elisabeth Garber-Paul, Rolling Stone, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of concocted
Verb
  • Counterbalancing him is a young actor cast to play one of the show’s decoys (an excellent Skylar Gisondo), whose guilelessness only magnifies the film’s sense of Hansen as a man constructed entirely out of TV-friendly sheen.
    — Nate Jones, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2026
  • Related Stories Romance, in terms of genre, is a first for the idiosyncratic director who has often constructed his films around his own persona, appearing as the central character.
    — Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 5 Sep. 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 10 Sep. 2026.

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