fictional

American  

[fik-shuhn-l] / ˈfɪk ʃən l /

adjective

1. invented as part of a work of fiction.

   Sherlock Holmes is a fictional detective.

2. of, like, or characterized by fiction.

   He used a fictional situation to explain the subject.

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Usage

What’s the difference between fictional, fictitious, and fictive? Fictional means invented as part of a work of fiction, as in Sherlock Holmes is a fictional detective or This account is entirely fictional—it’s not based on a true story. Fictitious most commonly means false or made up, as in I signed in with a fictitious name to hide my identity. Fictive is a much less commonly used word that means imaginary or relating to or capable of creating fiction, as in a fictive imagination. Confusingly, their meanings can overlap—fictitious can sometimes mean the same thing as fictional, and fictive can sometimes mean the same thing as fictitious. It can be tough to remember which word is the right one to use since all three are adjectives that are used in contexts involving things that are imagined or made up. Still, they are usually used in pretty specific ways. Fictional is almost always applied to stories and characters that are part of creative works, like books and movies, whereas fictitious is most commonly used in the context of things that are made up to conceal something or deceive someone in real life. Fictitious can usually be replaced with the word fake—this is not the case for fictional. Here’s an example of fictional, fictitious and fictive used correctly in the same sentence. Example: Instead of using fictitious names that no one would notice, his aliases were the names of fictional characters, like Clark Kent and Peter Parker—you would think a con artist would have a more fictive imagination. Want to learn more? Read the full breakdown of the difference between fictional, fictitious, and fictive.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• fictionally
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of fictional

First recorded in 1840–45; fiction ( def. ) + -al ¹ ( def. )

Explanation

Something fictional has been invented, most likely for a book, play, or movie. But if you're really self-centered, you might think a fictional story is actually about you. As the adjective form of fiction, fictional covers all the creative fabrications that arise out of a person's imagination, which might then enter a novel, a screenplay, or some other form of storytelling. While fictional characters may be based loosely on real-life people, they never actually existed. In the movie "Citizen Kane," Orson Welles transformed the real newspaper mogul William Randolph Hearst into the fictional Charles Foster Kane. Hearst never went around whispering "Rosebud."

Example Sentences

The fictional Async is merely following the same trajectory.

From Salon • Jun. 8, 2026

She immediately filed away the messy work-in-progress and began writing a fictional ode to a cherished friend, former publishing executive Jim Fox, to whom “Whistler” is dedicated.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 2, 2026

But it's actually called Foxfield, and is in Lisvane, Cardiff rather than the fictional Cotswolds countryside town of Rutshire, and could be yours for £8m.

From BBC • May 30, 2026

As Artie pursues a haphazard path toward better self-understanding, Ms. Strout deploys the fictional strategies that have made her novels feel as if they are about more than ordinary subjects.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 29, 2026

Dr. No, the fictional character, seems more real to us than the very real Kempton Bunton.

From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day

Related Words

• fabricated
• fanciful
• imaginary
• imagined
• made-up
• make believe