made-up
Americanadjective
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concocted; falsely fabricated or invented.
a made-up story.
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being in makeup; wearing facial cosmetics.
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put together; finished.
adjective
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invented; fictional
a made-up story
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wearing make-up
a well made-up woman
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put together; assembled
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(of a road) surfaced with asphalt, concrete, etc
Etymology
Origin of made-up
First recorded in 1600–10
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.
“The Odyssey” is a made-up story, and the characters of a made-up story can look however we want them to.
From Salon ● Jul. 22, 2026
Inside, neatly made-up rooms for visiting priests line warmly lit halls that lead to a chapel where the 400-year-old ritual takes place.
From Barron's ● Jul. 19, 2026
Meloni has said his comments were entirely "made-up", and Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani has cancelled a trip to the US early next week.
From BBC ● Jun. 19, 2026
Talarico might as well throw some weird made-up insinuations at Paxton to keep up.
From Slate ● May 30, 2026
“I’m not being funny. He doesn’t think about me. He’s made someone up, and it’s like he put my skin on her. I’m not like that—not like the made-up one.”
From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck
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.
