fictitious

1 of 2

adjective

fic·​ti·​tious fik-ˈti-shəs 

1

: of, relating to, or characteristic of fiction : imaginary

fictitious events described in his novel

2

a

: conventionally or hypothetically assumed or accepted

a fictitious concept

b

of a name : false, assumed

3

: not genuinely felt

fictitiously adverb

fictitiousness noun

fictitiousness

2 of 2

noun

fic·​ti·​tious·​ness

plural -es

: the quality or state of being fictitious

Did you know?

Fictitious is related to the Medieval Latin word fictīcius, meaning "artificial," "imaginary," "feigned," or "fraudulent." It was first used in English as an antonym for natural. For instance, a fake diamond would be referred to as a fictitious one. This use indicates the word's deeper Latin roots: fictīcius is from the Latin verb fingere, meaning "to mold, fashion, make a likeness of; pretend to be." Nowadays, fictitious is no longer used for physical things shaped by the human hand. Rather, it is typically used for imaginative creations or for feigned emotions.

Synonyms of fictitious

Adjective

• fictional
• imaginary
• mythical
• imagined
• fantasied

Choose the Right Synonym for fictitious

fictitious, fabulous, legendary, mythical, apocryphal mean having the nature of something imagined or invented.

fictitious implies fabrication and suggests artificiality or contrivance more than deliberate falsification or deception.

fictitious characters

fabulous stresses the marvelous or incredible character of something without necessarily implying impossibility or actual nonexistence.

a land of fabulous riches

legendary suggests the elaboration of invented details and distortion of historical facts produced by popular tradition.

the legendary exploits of Davy Crockett

mythical implies a purely fanciful explanation of facts or the creation of beings and events out of the imagination.

mythical creatures

apocryphal implies an unknown or dubious source or origin or may imply that the thing itself is dubious or inaccurate.

a book that repeats many apocryphal stories

Examples of fictitious in a Sentence

Adjective

The characters in the book are all fictitious.

She gave a fictitious address on the application.

Recent Examples on the Web

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

The schemes often use fictitious romantic relationships to persuade victims to transfer money to an investment opportunity recommended by the fraudsters. — Kansas City Star, 25 Sep. 2026

As the puzzle pieces shift slowly into place, these revelations are jaw-dropping (once again, in their highly fictitious context), leading to a journalistic urgency. — Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 20 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

borrowed from Medieval Latin fictīcius "artificial, imaginary, feigned, fraudulent," going back to Latin, "artificial, not natural," from fictus, past participle of fingere "to mold, fashion, make a likeness of, pretend to be" + -īcius -itious — more at feign

First Known Use

Adjective

circa 1633, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for fictitious

• adventitious
• cementitious
• expeditious
• inauspicious
• injudicious
• meretricious
• repetitious
• superstitious
• surreptitious
• unambitious
• unpropitious
• unsuspicious

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Kids Definition

fictitious

adjective

fic·​ti·​tious fik-ˈtish-əs 

: not real : made-up, imaginary

fictitiously adverb

fictitiousness noun

Legal Definition

fictitious

adjective

fic·​ti·​tious

1

: of, relating to, or characteristic of a legal fiction

2

: false

fictitiously adverb

fictitiousness noun