1
as in historical
restricted to or based on fact
a factual biography of George Washington that scoffs at the story about the cherry tree
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in actual
existing in fact and not merely as a possibility
a serious scientist, she is only interested in factual phenomena and lets others speculate about the hypothetical
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of factual
These are mostly shot in profile, which might seem counter-intuitive for a film hoping to endear us to its subjects (the movie’s head-on close-ups are rare), but this seemingly clinical, factual approach has a two-part effect.
—
Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 27 Jan. 2025
Supervised injection sites not only save lives by preventing factual overdoses but also serve as gateways to critical support services, including addiction treatment and mental health care.
—Pradeep Thomas, Baltimore Sun, 26 Jan. 2025
The line between satire and disinformation continues to blur on social media, where the context of a post made in jest can be misunderstood to be a factual news report.
—Peter Suciu, Forbes, 13 Jan. 2025
Yi had communicated with the baby’s mother the day before and on the same day that the infant ingested a deadly amount of the drug, according to a factual proffer in the case, the facts agreed on by the defense and prosecutors.
—Angie Dimichele, Sun Sentinel, 17 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for factual 
Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 27 Jan. 2025
Supervised injection sites not only save lives by preventing factual overdoses but also serve as gateways to critical support services, including addiction treatment and mental health care.
—Pradeep Thomas, Baltimore Sun, 26 Jan. 2025
The line between satire and disinformation continues to blur on social media, where the context of a post made in jest can be misunderstood to be a factual news report.
—Peter Suciu, Forbes, 13 Jan. 2025
Yi had communicated with the baby’s mother the day before and on the same day that the infant ingested a deadly amount of the drug, according to a factual proffer in the case, the facts agreed on by the defense and prosecutors.
—Angie Dimichele, Sun Sentinel, 17 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for factual
Recent Examples of Synonyms for factual
Adjective
-
While that was up 16.2% from a year earlier, the inventory remained well below the annual historical average of about 1.98 million, according to data going back to 1999.—
ALEX VEIGA THE ASSOCIATED PRESS,
arkansasonline.com,
25 Jan. 2025
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Consensus fourth-quarter estimates for the S & P 500 call for earnings per share to rise by 11% year over year on sales growth of 3%, with the earnings forecast little changed since Q3 results were reported in October, while sales have been revised down by more than the historical average.—
Pia Singh,
CNBC,
24 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
Typically, travelers achieve a redemption value of around 1.5 cents per point, making this promotion an excellent opportunity to buy points at a rate close to (or at) their actual value.—
Stella Shon,
Travel + Leisure,
23 Jan. 2025
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Beyond functionality, however, the actual benefits of skin care in makeup are less effective.—
Ariana Yaptangco,
Glamour,
23 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
The Guardian Australia reported that his role had been significantly reduced in scope following the appointment of new ABC Chair Kim Williams, who removed his radio and digital responsibilities and reportedly has different ideas about documentary output.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
23 Jan. 2025
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The series is slated on NBC for Sunday at 9 p.m. ET out of documentary series The Americas (and into Grosse Pointe Garden Society, another newbie drama).—
Marc Berman,
Forbes,
20 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
The real people who are in danger are those who are fearful of being deported.—
Brian Bennett,
TIME,
22 Jan. 2025
-
Meanwhile, the tampering accusation, which got the bulk of the headlines, feels like a distraction from the real issue.—
Stewart Mandel,
The Athletic,
22 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
They were not intended to be literal interpretations of the monuments concerned.—
Alex Wynne,
WWD,
29 Jan. 2025
-
On the one side stood religious fundamentalism with its insistence on a literal reading of scripture and submission to institutional authority; on the other stood scientific naturalism with its insistence that only empirical methods were valid routes to knowledge.—
Ben Woollard,
JSTOR Daily,
29 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
And if so, is that a price the WNBA is willing to pay to stay true to its values?—
Kimberly Wilson,
Essence,
27 Jan. 2025
-
Even if for the sake of argument that were true, the policy response is not and never can be.—
The Editors,
National Review,
27 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near factual
Cite this Entry
“Factual.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/factual. Accessed 5 Feb. 2025.
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