factitious
Americanadjective
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not spontaneous or natural; artificial; contrived.
factitious laughter; factitious enthusiasm.
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made; manufactured.
a decoration of factitious flowers and leaves.
adjective
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artificial rather than natural
factitious demands created by the mass media
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not genuine; sham
factitious enthusiasm
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of factitious
First recorded in 1640–50, factitious is from the Latin word factīcius “made by art, artificial.” See fact, -itious
Compare meaning
How does factitious compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
If you create a "diamond" out of plastic, then you’ve created a factitious diamond, meaning that it’s a phony. Factitious, pronounced "fac-TISH-us," means "fake," like a factitious compliment you give the person who cooked you an awful meal — you don't mean it, but you say it anyway, just to be nice. As he or she happily walks away, another friend might whisper, "Were you being facetious about the dinner being good?" Facetious, pronounced "fuh-SEE-shuhs," means "trying to be funny." Don't confuse factitious with facetious — or fictitious, which means "made up."
Vocabulary lists containing factitious
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Factitious disorder is when someone falsely claims another person is ill in order to deceive other people, according to the Mayo Clinic.
From Seattle Times • Jul. 28, 2021
Factitious disorder is associated with childhood separations, emotional neglect or abuse, hypochondriac preoccupations and a history of hospitalization in early life.
From Washington Post • Jun. 20, 2016
Factitious folk have tried, futilely, to draw conclusions from the identical first names of Mr. Cline's unfortunate guest and one of his minor characters.
From Time Magazine Archive
Factitious excitement is always the produce of corruption.
From Biographies of Distinguished Scientific Men by Grant, Robert
Factitious thirst is peculiar to man, and results from the instinct which impels him to seek in drink the strength he needs.
From The Physiology of Taste by Robinson, Fayette
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
