fictional

adjective

ˈfik-shnəl How to pronounce fictional (audio)
Definition of fictionalnext
as in fictitious
not real and existing only in the imagination the events in the horror movie seemed so real to some fans that they could not believe that the whole thing was fictional

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 fictional Premise and characters Ted Lasso is set in Richmond upon Thames, London, where the fictional soccer club AFC Richmond is struggling to win games in the English Premier League (EPL). — Encyclopedia Britannica, 10 Aug. 2026 The Noah Wyle-led The Pitt is centered on the lives of medical workers at a fictional Pittsburgh hospital. — Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 10 Aug. 2026 But then Doug died, and suddenly, what the characters in Night Songs were going through didn’t feel so fictional anymore; their suffering was real and powerful. — Alli Dyer, PEOPLE, 9 Aug. 2026 Many of them would likely have been better served by fictional films inspired by real-life figures, rather than being a slave to real-life events and the compromises involved with acquiring life rights. — Chris O'Falt, IndieWire, 8 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for fictional
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fictional
  1. fictitious
  2. imaginary
  3. mythical
  4. imagined
Adjective
  • Final testing relied on fictitious data instead of the real records of millions of residents.
    — Komal Goyal, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Schools received an email from a fictitious two-parent household with both a mother and father interested in enrolling a child.
    — Kristy Buzard, The Conversation, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of fictitious
Adjective
  • Near the end of the story, Gardner pledges to kill his imaginary son to spare him war’s toll, but backs out upon his wish to be transformed into a noble soldier.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 Aug. 2026
  • The Argentinian prairie is adorned with imaginary houses, castles and theatres as the young girls construct spontaneous, invisible cities, stories and games in which Koberidze’s likewise unseen characters could live.
    — Manahil Tahira, Variety, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of imaginary
Adjective
  • Knott’s has transformed the 1978 Montezooma’s Revenge into a multi-launch coaster with an Aztec treasure hunter theme and a train designed to look like a mythical stone creature.
    — Brady MacDonald, Oc Register, 6 Aug. 2026
  • Yet when the latter is replaced by the abbreviation algol (Algorithmic Language), a whole other order of reference comes into view, involving celestial movements and mythic monstrosities.
    — Jan Tumlir, Artforum, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of mythical
Adjective
  • Over the course of 13 test flights, SpaceX has attempted to fly Starship along roughly the same suborbital path, while the company has tweaked, re-imagined and designed around various issues that have emerged throughout the flight campaign.
    — Jackie Wattles, CNN Money, 3 Aug. 2026
  • Not always very precisely balanced between horror, homage and mystery, this intriguing if unevenly realized construct will nonetheless lure genre fans and nostalgists alike with its imagined back chapter of golden-age Hollywood.
    — Dennis Harvey, Variety, 31 July 2026
Definition of imagined

Browse Nearby Words

fiction
fictional
fictionalized
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Cite this Entry

“Fictional.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fictional. Accessed 14 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of fictional for Spanish Speakers

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