factitious

adjective

fak-ˈti-shəs How to pronounce factitious (audio)
Definition of factitiousnext
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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in false
lacking in natural or spontaneous quality the factitious friendliness shown by the beauty-pageant contestants to one another

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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 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 Amidst this sad and factitious disorder what became clear was that political agendas were once again trumping facts. — Amir Husain, Forbes, 4 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
  1. synthetic
  2. false
  3. faux
  4. mock
  5. artificial
  6. unnatural
  7. fake
  8. strained
Adjective
  • Some dental floss manufacturers have been quietly moving away from the synthetic material PTFE, which helped their product slip smoothly between teeth.
    — Margaret Hetherman The Washington Post, Arkansas Online, 19 Oct. 2026
  • The result is a synthetic rhythm section—a voice mimicking a synthesizer that mimics a bass guitar—that precedes a very human chorus from Please, who does not sing so much as plead, several octaves higher.
    — Samuel Hyland, Pitchfork, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of synthetic
Adjective
  • Screening mammograms miss about one in eight breast cancers overall, and people with dense breasts are more likely to get false-negative results, the American Cancer Society reports.
    — Samantha Agate, Kansas City Star, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Overall, screening mammograms miss about one in eight breast cancers, and people with dense breasts are more likely to get false-negative results.
    — Samantha Agate, Charlotte Observer, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of false
Adjective
  • Experts called plumassiers, or feather specialists, would often collaborate with fashion houses and incorporate feathers, both faux and real, into designs for couture and ready-to-wear collections.
    — Julia Teti, Footwear News, 13 Oct. 2026
  • The ground floor features an 18-seat bar with a rum wall backsplash, carved Moai heads and high-tops that spill out to a lush faux-grass courtyard framed in palm trees and tiki-totem pillars.
    — Phillip Valys, Sun Sentinel, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of faux
Adjective
  • Instead, the beleaguered quarterback continues to slide down mock draft boards as the season matures.
    — Austin Perry OutKick, FOXNews.com, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Testing sensors on canisters During the INL demonstration, researchers installed optical fibers outside a mock nuclear fuel canister and tested several arrangements to measure acoustic vibrations.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of mock
Adjective
  • The series also leans on some corny, dad-style humor that further underscores its artificial nature.
    — Britta Miller, The Washington Examiner, 14 Oct. 2026
  • The authors believe their own work will eventually find similar medical and microfluidic applications, such as for artificial pumps.
    — Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of artificial
Adjective
  • Some movements feel unnatural, facial expressions are exaggerated, and small details occasionally fall into the uncanny valley or break rules of logical consistency.
    — Britta Miller, The Washington Examiner, 14 Oct. 2026
  • But closer examination reveals that OpenAI’s proof builds its unnatural force in a totally distinct way.
    — Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of unnatural
Adjective
  • When Lee gets to the visitation window, there’s a fake Mekko sitting across from him.
    — Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 15 Oct. 2026
  • The fake image was attention-grabbing, shady, and timely — in other words, perfect for social media virality but a potential liability for the parties involved.
    — Mia Sato, The Verge, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of fake
Adjective
  • Rice could return in the coming week after suffering a strained hamstring.
    — Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 19 Oct. 2026
  • As an 'artificial friend' purchased for an ailing teen, Jenna Ortega tries hard to illuminate this misbegotten Kazuo Ishiguro adaptation, but Waititi's decision to play it for strained, whimsical comedy is ruinous.
    — Guy Lodge, Variety, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of strained

Browse Nearby Words

factious
factitious
factoid
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Cite this Entry

“Factitious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/factitious. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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