Definition of factitiousnext
1
2

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 factitious Another was shorting Valeant, the high-flyer with factitious revenue growth. William Baldwin, Forbes.com, 23 Apr. 2025 With this announcement, factitious (in my opinion) concerns about Amazon being behind in GenAI will be reduced big time. Sandy Carter, Forbes, 6 Dec. 2024 This is a useful inquiry, because we in the modern world are inundated by manipulated or factitious statistics, fabricated by marketers and politicians, promoted on social media and swallowed whole by news organizations. Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 14 Dec. 2023 Their connection to these was as factitious as their previous link to toothpaste. David Mamet, National Review, 31 Mar. 2022 Marc Feldman, the American psychiatrist who popularized the term Munchausen by internet, has noticed that most of the cases of factitious disorder that come to his attention involve women. Helen Lewis, The Atlantic, 16 Mar. 2021 Almanacs aren’t always — and haven’t always been — so fastidiously factitious. Mark Athitakis, Washington Post, 24 Nov. 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for factitious
Adjective
  • Without synthetic nitrogen fertilizer, researchers estimate farmers could only feed around half of the approximately eight billon people on the planet.
    Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 1 June 2026
  • In practice, Teng explained, this means customers will soon be able to create a synthetic version of certain stocks by converting them into a digital token on the company’s BNB blockchain.
    Jeff John Roberts, Fortune, 1 June 2026
Adjective
  • Today, rumors circulating on social media in the DRC include false claims that Ebola is not real, that humanitarian workers are descending on the area solely for their own profit and that aid groups are withholding the best care available.
    Gabrielle Emanuel, NPR, 29 May 2026
  • In January, Roberts pleaded guilty to making a false statement for employment and one count of unlawfully possessing a firearm while being in the country illegally.
    Corky Siemaszko, NBC news, 29 May 2026
Adjective
  • Everyone in the community center put down their faux salads to stare at us.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 3 June 2026
  • The store offers an extensive botanical shop and with a large assortment of both faux and dried botanicals for DIY arrangements or on-site styling help from an expert.
    Fousia Abdullahi, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 June 2026
Adjective
  • In a nearby tent was Zuhoor Musa Abdul Rahman, a 30-year-old housewife who recounted with unnatural calm the horrors that spurred her to flee El Fasher, a city some 300 miles east of Obeid.
    Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 24 May 2026
  • Only Maddie saw the unnatural, violent pull back inside, and most of the scares that follow likewise blur the line between reality and fantasy.
    Elena Lazic, Variety, 24 May 2026
Adjective
  • Marlon asks, pointing to an artificial division between the Wayans' sketch comedy series, In Living Color, and Thompson's longtime home, Saturday Night Live.
    Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 6 June 2026
  • Resistance to artificial turf might be eased if the city had taken the time to explain in great detail its benefits and risks.
    Steve Bousquet, Sun Sentinel, 6 June 2026
Adjective
  • Lewis oversaw workshops with school kids himself, traveling to schools in his free time, staging mock trials and handing out copies of legal documents, like the Constitution.
    Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 31 May 2026
  • Each year, a different brother played Paddy, lying in the coffin, where he was roasted by a series of mock eulogies.
    Peter Hessler, New Yorker, 31 May 2026
Adjective
  • In the show, shy Briar U music major Hannah Wells (Ella Bright) and cocky team captain Garrett Graham (Belmont Cameli) begin fake-dating to try to catch the attention of Hannah’s crush.
    Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 28 May 2026
  • The schemes involve the use of fake court documents regarding false traffic and criminal infractions.
    David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 28 May 2026
Adjective
  • Last year, Hernández played in just one rehab game returning from a strained groin.
    Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 30 May 2026
  • Large parts of its war effort are now unmanned, the robots, drones, and remotely piloted tanks giving it a sudden, albeit fragile, edge over a lumbering and strained Russian invader.
    Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 30 May 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

“Factitious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/factitious. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on factitious

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster