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.
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
Example Sentences
The characters in the book are all fictitious. She gave a fictitious address on the application.
Recent Examples on the WebSet in the fictitious Midwestern town of Salem, the core families are the Bradys, Hortons, Carvers, DiMeras and Kiriakises. Variety, NBC News, 3 Aug. 2022 The driver, a Lyndhurst man, 55 was cited for fictitious plates, and his passenger, a Chesterland man, 64, was cited for no seat belt and no city landscaping permit. Thomas Jewell, cleveland, 5 Aug. 2022 Zayas then posed as the teenage boy’s sister and threatened physical harm for ending the fictitious relationship. Abigail Hasebroock, Orlando Sentinel, 28 July 2022 This bridge is a fictitious overpass that connects Earth to heaven. Ysolt Usigan, Woman's Day, 27 July 2022 The Senate voted 64-34 to proceed on a semiconductor welfare bill sporting a fictitious $76 billion price tag. Kimberley A. Strassel, WSJ, 21 July 2022 Sophia was living in the fictitious Shady Pines while the three younger women roomed together. Jamie Gold, Forbes, 19 July 2022 The driver was arrested and charged with possession of drug paraphernalia, fictitious plates and expired plates. Cheryl Higley, cleveland, 17 July 2022 The players have names like Lefty Thorn and Hiroki Nomo, and the fictitious sports commentator Wally McCarthy narrates their progress through a gently interminable, pleasingly varied dance of strikes, balls, and hits. Katy Waldman, The New Yorker, 14 July 2022 See More
Word History
Etymology
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