MAKING UP Synonyms: 131 Similar and Opposite Words

making up

verb

present participle of make up

as in comprising

to be all the substance of the book is made up of 20 chapters

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

as in devising

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

as in building

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 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 making up Asia-Pacific is still a small share of Mubadala鈥檚 portfolio, making up 13% of its holdings, against 44% for North America. — semafor.com, 15 Oct. 2026 The Grotto of Massabielle is one of the 22 sites making up the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes. — ABC News, 24 Sep. 2026 The project is expected to set aside 40% of its units as affordable for those making up to 60% of the area median income under federal guidelines. — Chris Higgins, Kansas City Star, 3 Sep. 2026 She was later wrongfully accused of making up the allegations and fired, while Durrah maintained his employment with the department, Tillman claimed in her complaint. — Amber Gaudet updated August 20, Charlotte Observer, 20 Aug. 2026 Consumer payments and subscriptions remain the core of the business, contributing 85% to 90% of revenue across the forecast period, with subscriptions already making up 60% to 70% of viewer spend. — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 6 Aug. 2026 From female directors making up 18-19 percent of film production to more than 30 percent. — Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 23 July 2026 Medicaid now covers families making up to 138% of the federal poverty level. — Nick Coltrain, Denver Post, 25 June 2026 Congress has to keep making up the gap with general taxpayer funds. — Camila Domonoske, NPR, 28 May 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for making up

Verb

The jury members, comprising eight men and four women, took their place in Courtroom 3 of Southwark Crown Court for the first time.

— Jake Kanter, Deadline, 14 Oct. 2026
The gallery’s New York flagship has been located on the Upper East Side since 2014, in a set of historic buildings comprising some 17,500 square feet that formerly housed the National Academy Museum.

— News Desk, Artforum, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of comprising

Verb

Mungiu may have a less sadistic streak and a more active camera, but the two filmmakers share a particular commitment to narrative indeterminacy, devising intricate yet incomplete crime-story plots that function broadly as sociopolitical allegories.

— Justin Chang, New Yorker, 8 Oct. 2026
Instead, the self-regulating organization takes the day-to-day lead in devising standards, conducting oversight, enforcing rules, and punishing bad actors, drawing on its business members’ unique knowledge and real-world expertise.

— William R. Gruver, Fortune, 4 Oct. 2026

Definition of devising

Verb

Since its founding, Storyteller has made flexible vans with outdoor accoutrements front of mind, building out versatile multi-use spaces for strapping in large cargo during the ride before rearranging into a bedroom/workshop once there.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 15 Oct. 2026
Coniglio collaborated with Bloomingdale’s Carousel in 2025, building a 2,000-square-foot space at the New York flagship and will be on Moda Operandi next month.

— Lisa Lockwood, Footwear News, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of building

Verb

Gash love composing songs whose intersecting lines set the entire mood of the song—jarring, dreamy, or nostalgic—in the style of art-house sampling.

— Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 13 Oct. 2026
Lyall pulled out his phone and began composing a message for Claude, the AI app from Anthropic.

— Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of composing

Verb

Tearing down existing homes on land that is more than 6,000 square feet of the property and constructing multi-family units would produce a financial gap that makes the construction infeasible, according to the study.

— Cam'ron Hardy, Chicago Tribune, 18 Oct. 2026
Shout out to my little brother, who gifted me a New York Times Games subscription back in 2023 and began my journey to constructing.

— Caitlin Lovinger, New York Times, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of constructing

Verb

For the new movie, ILM preserved their recognizable silhouettes while inventing more realistic anatomy, movement and fighting styles.

— Davide Abbatescianni, Variety, 16 Oct. 2026
Across both commercial ambient platforms and general-purpose models applied to clinical documentation, the more common failure is under-capture rather than inventing what wasn’t said.

— Pat Williams, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2026

Definition of inventing

Verb

Ukraine has earned worldwide recognition for its cutting-edge drone industry, designing and assembling systems that have changed modern warfare.

— ABC News, ABC News, 14 Oct. 2026
Those aren't great odds, but as Dodgers fans kept reminding everyone while assembling their superteam, baseball is inherently random.

— Bobby Burack OutKick, FOXNews.com, 13 Oct. 2026