as in historical
restricted to or based on fact
a nonfictional account of a disastrous ascent of Mount Everest
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Recent Examples of nonfictional
Pee-Wee as Himself, the 2025 Emmy award winner for best documentary or nonfictional special, is also among the nominees.
—
Brande Victorian, HollywoodReporter, 7 Apr. 2026
That delirious excess befits the essence of Lapid’s method, which is a fusion of fiction with indigestibly and irreducibly nonfictional elements.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 27 Mar. 2026
The days at the fictional Oak Canyon Ranch Retreat in the nonfictional Agoura Hills are loaded with incident — the retreat itself is essentially sleepaway camp, including pool time, games, a cookout, a talent show — and disasters.
—Television Critic, Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2026
Significant experiment The effort is part of the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment, a nonfictional experiment with detectors that will be immersed in huge baths of cryogenic liquid argon, which is going the opposite direction — down.
—Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 15 Jan. 2026
But what was more interesting to me are those who aren’t fantasizing about being in a fictional world, but who are fantasizing about being a different reader, in a more secure nonfictional world.
—James Folta, Literary Hub, 13 Jan. 2026
Recently, this sacrament has garnered nonfictional attention.
—Timothy Gabrielli, The Conversation, 25 Aug. 2025
Brande Victorian, HollywoodReporter, 7 Apr. 2026
That delirious excess befits the essence of Lapid’s method, which is a fusion of fiction with indigestibly and irreducibly nonfictional elements.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 27 Mar. 2026
The days at the fictional Oak Canyon Ranch Retreat in the nonfictional Agoura Hills are loaded with incident — the retreat itself is essentially sleepaway camp, including pool time, games, a cookout, a talent show — and disasters.
—Television Critic, Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2026
Significant experiment The effort is part of the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment, a nonfictional experiment with detectors that will be immersed in huge baths of cryogenic liquid argon, which is going the opposite direction — down.
—Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 15 Jan. 2026
But what was more interesting to me are those who aren’t fantasizing about being in a fictional world, but who are fantasizing about being a different reader, in a more secure nonfictional world.
—James Folta, Literary Hub, 13 Jan. 2026
Recently, this sacrament has garnered nonfictional attention.
—Timothy Gabrielli, The Conversation, 25 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nonfictional
Adjective
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For her latest novel, the Irish writer has crafted another historical family epic rooted in tragedy, this time inspired by the landscape of her home country.—
Kristen Tauer,
Footwear News,
24 May 2026
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Users upload financial datasets and forecasting models into Claude Projects and uses prompts to analyze quarterly data, update forecasts and track historical reasoning.—
Gene Marks,
Forbes.com,
24 May 2026
Adjective
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Content that does not fail is content that answers a factual question in a unique manner to how all other websites answer it.—
TerDawn DeBoe,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2026
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Such is the nature of the law at work that this or some other factual variation may be the subject of a future ruling – and a future column.—
Dan Eaton,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
18 May 2026
Adjective
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The crowd also reacted energetically to questions about Kansas City barbecue and a call for Congress to pass the SAVE Act, a bill that would require documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote.—
Jack Harvel,
Kansas City Star,
18 May 2026
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The Tickells received a Euros 10,000 cash award from Artemis Rising Foundation in recognition of their contributions to the documentary field.—
Leo Barraclough,
Variety,
18 May 2026
Adjective
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This lush new exception—a literal urban oasis and Ontario’s only LEED Gold Certified Hotel takes sustainability seriously—is distinguished by its biophilic design, impressive conservation programs, and real community mindedness.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
23 May 2026
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Between archival footage and photos of Lennon and Ono, there are dozens of jarring, ugly visuals, seemingly generated by entering Ono and Lennon’s dialogue into a machine that spits out bizarrely literal interpretations of text.—
Rachel Handler,
Vulture,
22 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Nonfictional.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nonfictional. Accessed 26 May. 2026.
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