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
During revaluations, any increase of more than 20% for a particular type of land over the previous valuation will automatically be reviewed by a committee made up of farmers, municipal leaders and assessors. — John Moritz, Hartford Courant, 24 Sep. 2026 According to the Cleveland Clinic, the barrier is the outer, dead-cell layer of skin made up of corneocytes, lipids, proteins and fats that keep water in and irritants out. — Hanna Wickes, Sacbee.com, 17 Sep. 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
  • The Swiss manufacturer has just unveiled a new lineup of Seamaster Diver 300Ms inspired by James Bond and Spectre, the fictitious crime org seen in the 007 flicks.
    — Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 5 Oct. 2026
  • The Russian security service’s Meliorator tool has been used to create over a thousand profiles of fictitious Americans, primarily on X (formerly Twitter), to spread Kremlin narratives at a fraction of the cost of human troll farms.
    — Seva Gunitsky, Foreign Affairs, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of fictitious
Verb
  • The rankings considered four factors which comprised the districts’ student racial diversity index, parent/student surveys on culture and diversity, the percent of economically disadvantaged students and gender diversity.
    — Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Home Ministry official Makhzan Mahyuddin was quoted by national Bernama news agency as saying the returnees comprised 1,370 men, 79 women, 20 boys and seven girls, aged between eight and 60.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of comprised
Verb
  • The results suggested that the idea of using messenger RNA to train the immune system to attack cancer cells — an approach first devised decades ago — was ripe for further drug development.
    — Allison DeAngelis, STAT, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Teams devised an unprecedented bit of spaceship surgery to replace the valve without draining the propellant and disassembling the spacecraft, steps that would have triggered a much longer delay.
    — Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of devised
Verb
  • Abundantia was formed and built with studio economics in mind, rather than project economics.
    — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Jaguar also built a car with long, low proportions that are unique in its segment and required a new platform.
    — Erik Shilling, Robb Report, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of built
Adjective
  • What matters most is being comfortably inside the path and away from the hard edges, not standing on an imaginary line drawn through its middle.
    — Jamie Carter, Space.com, 3 Oct. 2026
  • Each nutty denunciation of his imaginary tormentors includes a plea for a presidential pardon.
    — Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of imaginary
Verb
  • Quarterback Jayden Maiava and a receivers group coping with injuries will need to keep USC’s offense composed amid the hostile crowd.
    — Jordan Puente, Los Angeles Times, 10 Oct. 2026
  • Neither was having fits; indeed, both seemed remarkably composed, given the circumstances.
    — Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of composed
Verb
  • 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
  • Martha’s concocted plenty over the years, including her cider-bourbon cocktail made with apple cider, bourbon, lemon juice, ginger, and apple garnishes.
    — Wendy Rose Gould, Martha Stewart, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of concocted
Verb
  • Hirose, who also writes and edits, has constructed a brilliantly volatile scenario, vulnerable to any number of potentially explosive and destructive dramatic developments.
    — Guy Lodge, Variety, 11 Oct. 2026
  • Related Articles Her home in the West Village was constructed in the 1920s as a residential hotel with most of the units being used as studios or one-bedroom apartments.
    — Hikmat Mohammed, ARTnews.com, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of constructed

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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 12 Oct. 2026.

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