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
Richard Ramos, CBS News, 3 Apr. 2026
Many of the languages that are made up for television and books are just gibberish.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Apr. 2026
Five years ago no home in Miami sold for $50 million, but in 2025, sales in this range made up 7% of the market, the Times reported.
—Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 2 Apr. 2026
The Saja Boys, a boy band made up of demons, attempt to disrupt that mission.
—Mike Snider, USA TODAY, 26 Mar. 2026
My district is made up of fighters.
—Lauren Peller, ABC News, 26 Mar. 2026
The team is made up of trainers, nutrition coaches, and wellness pros, so meals are timed, hikes are guided, and massages are scheduled.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 19 Mar. 2026
Then there’s the fact that, much like the Heated Rivalry fandom and romance-genre readers in general, the PWHL fandom is largely made up of women.
—Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 19 Mar. 2026
The 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), made up of at least 2,200 marines, is expected to deploy from San Diego in the coming days, sooner than they were scheduled to leave, the people said.
—Raf Sanchez, NBC news, 19 Mar. 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
Roughly 45% of the cost of every gallon of gas is made up of costs that are consistent across the country.
—Richard Ramos, CBS News, 3 Apr. 2026
Many of the languages that are made up for television and books are just gibberish.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Apr. 2026
Five years ago no home in Miami sold for $50 million, but in 2025, sales in this range made up 7% of the market, the Times reported.
—Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 2 Apr. 2026
The Saja Boys, a boy band made up of demons, attempt to disrupt that mission.
—Mike Snider, USA TODAY, 26 Mar. 2026
My district is made up of fighters.
—Lauren Peller, ABC News, 26 Mar. 2026
The team is made up of trainers, nutrition coaches, and wellness pros, so meals are timed, hikes are guided, and massages are scheduled.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 19 Mar. 2026
Then there’s the fact that, much like the Heated Rivalry fandom and romance-genre readers in general, the PWHL fandom is largely made up of women.
—Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 19 Mar. 2026
The 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), made up of at least 2,200 marines, is expected to deploy from San Diego in the coming days, sooner than they were scheduled to leave, the people said.
—Raf Sanchez, NBC news, 19 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for made-up
Adjective
-
One requires election records to be maintained for 22 months, while the other prohibits procuring, casting or tabulating false, fictitious or fraudulent ballots.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
29 Mar. 2026
-
Increasingly, human resources departments noticed that applicants used the résumé to tell white lies, and even bigger fibs, listing fictitious degrees, fake promotions and other embellishments.—
Stephen Mihm,
Twin Cities,
29 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
-
First canals and then locks were devised to guide boats around the falls.—
Adam Sachs,
Condé Nast Traveler,
28 Mar. 2026
-
Suno devised all the vocals, instrumentation, arrangements, production, mixing and mastering for all of Tempchin’s songs on both those albums.—
George Varga,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
22 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Some programs have built their identity on hard coaching or amassing the most talent possible, and while Campbell isn’t soft on his players, he’s opted to create a culture of joy that’s led to TCU signing Van Lith and Miles.—
Steven Johnson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
29 Mar. 2026
-
The No Kings movement hasn't depended on the Democratic Party to organize its protests; it's built its own infrastructure using social media and digital resources.—
Susan Page,
USA Today,
29 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Bartle replied that the two Kansas Cities were really one big city, separated only by an imaginary state line.—
Elijah Winkler,
Kansas City Star,
29 Mar. 2026
-
In the Williams-Paisley household, even an imaginary man can cause a marital kerfuffle.—
Bryan West,
USA Today,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Woods appears composed, from the moment he is confronted by sheriff’s deputies and throughout the entire interaction.—
Alaa Elassar,
CNN Money,
3 Apr. 2026
-
The images are vivid and carefully composed.—
Christopher Harris,
CBS News,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Police said Wang had slashed their throats and concocted a story about arriving home and shooting at a fleeing intruder responsible for the killings.—
Carlos E. Castañeda,
CBS News,
31 Mar. 2026
-
When the Covid-19 pandemic hit, scientists identified the virus, deciphered its secrets, concocted a vaccine, put it into production, and rendered the disease manageable – all within a year.—
David Blumenthal,
Fortune,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
They're beautifully constructed.—
Ashley Hume,
FOXNews.com,
3 Apr. 2026
-
Producers had wanted to move forward with the location even after a contractor warned that the building was likely constructed with asbestos and should be properly tested.—
Katie Campione,
Deadline,
3 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Made-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/made-up. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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