1
as in synthetic
being such in appearance only and made with or manufactured from usually cheaper materials
presumably the statue is of factitious marble, because for that price you're not going to get the real stuff
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in unnatural
lacking in natural or spontaneous quality
the factitious friendliness shown by the beauty-pageant contestants to one another
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 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
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
-
Meanwhile, newer synthetic drugs such as spice or bath salts may not be detected at all without specialized equipment.—
Andrew Yockey,
The Conversation,
11 Sep. 2025
-
The Yoga 9i 2-in-1 placed second in Cinebench and fourth in Geekbench, two synthetic benchmarks that test CPU performance.—
Mark Coppock,
PC Magazine,
11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
In its world premiere, SECOND NATURE challenges the notion that queerness is unnatural, by turning to nature itself — and the science that dismantles the myth of the gender binary.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
10 Sep. 2025
-
Stories abound in folklore of the unnatural taking the place of the natural.—
Adam Verner
September 3,
Literary Hub,
3 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
There are so many fun home decor in Pottery Barn’s clearance section for less than $50, including candle holders, faux plants, and even (some) bedding.—
Stephanie Osmanski,
Better Homes & Gardens,
10 Sep. 2025
-
Particular standouts are a walnut and parchment media console, faux-fur pouf ottomans with an angular chrome base, a unique performance velvet sectional, and a particularly striking set of dining chairs.—
Julia Harrison,
Architectural Digest,
9 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The false assurance was more than a slip.—
Eric Tucker,
Twin Cities,
13 Sep. 2025
-
Robinson, the founder of the now-defunct anti-immigration English Defence League (EDL), was released from prison earlier this year, having been jailed for being in contempt of court by repeating false accusations about a Syrian refugee.—
Catherine Nicholls,
CNN Money,
13 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
To address these challenges, the Institute of Energy carried out research on the steady-state operation performance of China’s USD one-trillion ‘artificial sun’ fusion reactor.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
12 Sep. 2025
-
Vote as many times as you’d like until then without using bots or any other artificial methods of voting.—
Nathan Canilao,
Mercury News,
11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Whose idea was this, and what kinds of settler-colonial relations does this mock holdup invert?—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 Sep. 2025
-
Sweater My grandmother also purchased this 100 percent cashmere mock-neck sweater to have on hand in case the weather requires an extra layer.—
Melony Forcier,
Travel + Leisure,
11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Colbert made several jokes about needing a job and even brought a fake resume with a youthful headshot of himself.—
Rosa Escandon,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
-
The Nepalese government, citing concerns over fake accounts, hate speech, disinformation and fraud, said the measures were to ensure accountability and make operators responsible for content on their platforms.—
Nir Kshetri,
The Conversation,
14 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
One of the main challenges facing the economy is the strained relationship between Beijing and Washington as disputes over technology and geopolitics mount.—
Nino Paoli,
Fortune,
15 Sep. 2025
-
Photothek via Getty Images Against the backdrop of a strained labour market, many workers feel obliged to overperform.—
Alliance Manchester Business School,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Factitious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/factitious. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share