made-up 1 of 2

adjective

ˈmād-ˈəp How to pronounce made-up (audio)
Definition of made-upnext
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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

made up

2 of 2

verb

past tense of make up
1
as in comprised
to be all the substance of the book is made up of 20 chapters

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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

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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"

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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 made-up
Adjective
That story was 100 percent insane and made-up, and not a word of it is true. — Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Feb. 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
Verb
During revaluations, any increase of more than 20% for a particular type of land over the previous valuation will automatically be reviewed by a committee made up of farmers, municipal leaders and assessors. — John Moritz, Hartford Courant, 24 Sep. 2026 According to the Cleveland Clinic, the barrier is the outer, dead-cell layer of skin made up of corneocytes, lipids, proteins and fats that keep water in and irritants out. — Hanna Wickes, Sacbee.com, 17 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for made-up
Recent Examples of Synonyms for made-up
  1. fictitious
  2. comprised
  3. devised
  4. built
  5. imaginary
  6. composed
  7. concocted
  8. constructed
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
Definition of fictitious
Verb
  • The rankings considered four factors which comprised the districts’ student racial diversity index, parent/student surveys on culture and diversity, the percent of economically disadvantaged students and gender diversity.
    — Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Home Ministry official Makhzan Mahyuddin was quoted by national Bernama news agency as saying the returnees comprised 1,370 men, 79 women, 20 boys and seven girls, aged between eight and 60.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of comprised
Verb
  • The results suggested that the idea of using messenger RNA to train the immune system to attack cancer cells — an approach first devised decades ago — was ripe for further drug development.
    — Allison DeAngelis, STAT, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Teams devised an unprecedented bit of spaceship surgery to replace the valve without draining the propellant and disassembling the spacecraft, steps that would have triggered a much longer delay.
    — Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of devised
Verb
  • Abundantia was formed and built with studio economics in mind, rather than project economics.
    — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Jaguar also built a car with long, low proportions that are unique in its segment and required a new platform.
    — Erik Shilling, Robb Report, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of built
Adjective
  • What matters most is being comfortably inside the path and away from the hard edges, not standing on an imaginary line drawn through its middle.
    — Jamie Carter, Space.com, 3 Oct. 2026
  • Each nutty denunciation of his imaginary tormentors includes a plea for a presidential pardon.
    — Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of imaginary
Verb
  • The sound of the music was one thing—even when Stereolab were at their loungiest or Stars of the Lid were including the key in which a song was composed in its title, there was something like the faintest air of rock music in their experiments.
    — Sadie Sartini Garner, Pitchfork, 4 Oct. 2026
  • James Newton Howard Howard composed the emotional finale of the film.
    — Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of composed
Verb
  • Martha’s concocted plenty over the years, including her cider-bourbon cocktail made with apple cider, bourbon, lemon juice, ginger, and apple garnishes.
    — Wendy Rose Gould, Martha Stewart, 16 Sep. 2026
  • The young lady had specially flown in from New York and Alan had concocted a piece of simple blackmail.
    — Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of concocted
Verb
  • Our research suggests these tombs were designed and constructed not simply to house the dead, but to affect the living through a sensorily immersive environment similar to a modern 3D film experience.
    — Jacqueline Ortoleva, Scientific American, 3 Oct. 2026
  • As such, the narratives constructed by mainstream media outlets are not mere reflections of events but active tools of persuasion.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of constructed

Browse Nearby Words

made tracks
made-up
made up
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Cite this Entry

“Made-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/made-up. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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