Synonyms of make up

make up 1 of 2

verb

1

as in to comprise

to be all the substance of

the book is made up of 20 chapters

Synonyms & Similar Words

• comprise
• compose
• constitute
• form
• flesh (out)
• fill (out)
• integrate
• supplement
• incorporate
• embody
• complement
• incarnate
• personify
• complete
• materialize
• substantiate
• epitomize

2

as in to devise

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

• devise
• concoct
• construct
• invent
• come up with
• think (up)
• design
• drum up
• cook (up)
• manufacture
• trump up
• produce
• vamp (up)
• hatch
• contrive
• excogitate
• fabricate
• imagine
• conceive
• dream
• envision
• coin
• visualize
• vision
• fantasize
• envisage
• daydream
• improvise
• picture
• extemporize
• ad-lib

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• reproduce
• imitate
• copy
• duplicate
• mimic
• replicate
• clone
• reduplicate
• copycat

3

as in to build

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

• build
• construct
• assemble
• make
• create
• found
• set up
• erect
• put together
• put up
• establish
• fabricate
• piece
• design
• manufacture
• rear
• produce
• raise
• confect
• generate
• shape
• organize
• rebuild
• carpenter
• begin
• fashion
• think (up)
• mold
• imagine
• forge
• invent
• originate
• institute
• innovate
• initiate
• frame
• reedify
• concoct
• hammer
• inaugurate
• devise
• coin
• cook (up)
• constitute
• throw up
• father
• rig (up)
• reconstruct
• prefabricate
• conceive
• handcraft
• retrofit
• reassemble
• combine
• contrive
• jerry-build
• unite
• redevelop

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• take down
• tear down
• strike
• knock down
• destroy
• pull down
• dismantle
• ruin
• disassemble
• dismember
• flatten
• smash
• level
• demolish
• wreck
• pulverize
• blow up
• shatter
• devastate
• explode
• raze
• ruinate
• demount
• detach
• disengage
• divide
• separate
• disconnect
• disjoin
• disunite

makeup

2 of 2

noun

ˈmāk-ˌəp 

1

as in paint

preparations intended to beautify the face

she never left the house without applying her makeup and arranging her jewelry

Synonyms & Similar Words

• paint
• cosmetics
• lipstick
• mascara
• war paint
• maquillage
• oil
• cream
• powder
• camouflage
• greasepaint
• lotion
• camo
• rouge
• kohl
• eye shadow
• cold cream
• vanishing cream

2

as in design

the way in which the elements of something (as a work of art) are arranged

the makeup of the memorial is strikingly simple: a single massive globe signifying world unity

Synonyms & Similar Words

• design
• layout
• composition
• format
• theme
• pattern
• arrangement
• motif
• configuration
• getup
• form
• constellation
• ordonnance

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of make up

Verb

Black women — who represent just 13% of the female population — made up half of all new diagnoses among women in 2024, at a rate 12 times higher than white women. — Ashley Lan, HollywoodReporter, 22 July 2026

Shot partially on location in southernmost Messinia, one of five administrative regions making up the Peloponnese, the film follows a harrowing journey of a man trying to return home against all odds. — Yulia Denisyuk, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 July 2026

Noun

The retailer quadrupled its K-beauty items in the spring, offering more than 150 new products and more than 10 new brands across skin care, makeup and hair care, a spokesperson told CNBC. — Sean Conlon, CNBC, 18 July 2026

Mix your foundation with the serum for a less matte finish and apply it to your face with a makeup sponge. — Luz García, Glamour, 18 July 2026