fabricated

American  

[fab-ri-key-tid] / ˈfæb rɪˌkeɪ tɪd /

adjective

1. made by art or skill and labor.

   For the staircases, the ceramics manufacturer supplied a specially fabricated porcelain tile resembling natural stone.

2. made by assembling parts or sections.

   Plywood is a fabricated wood board made of three or more panels of wood veneer laid one on top of another.

3. (of a lie, story, excuse, etc.) devised or invented.

   That is a wholly fabricated allegation without any foundation whatsoever.

4. faked or forged.

   Scientists reported that the fabricated fossil had been made up of parts of a primitive bird and a dinosaur, glued together by a farmer.

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verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of fabricate.

Other Word Forms

• quasi-fabricated
  adjective
• unfabricated
  adjective
• well-fabricated
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of fabricated

First recorded in 1770–80; fabricate + -ed ² ( def. ) for the adjective senses; fabricate + -ed ¹ ( def. ) for the verb sense

Explanation

Something that's fabricated is faked or invented, like a fabricated story about how the dog ate your homework. Trust us, no one believes that. If a journalist uses fabricated quotes, it means he made them up, and if a police officer uses fabricated evidence, it means she deliberately planted or falsified it. Some fabricated things are literally manufactured, like the fabricated parts used to build a car. Both senses of this adjective come from the verb fabricate, "construct" or "make," and share a root with fabric that means "fit together."

Example Sentences

That said, it’s good to be reminded that Kapuściński likely fabricated many of the juicier details in his 1978 book.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026

Originally fabricated in a single color -- gray -- the vehicle, nicknamed "la deudeuche," found quick success with consumers, leading to delivery delays in the 1950s.

From Barron's • May 21, 2026

Turns out, it was all part of an elaborate fraud scheme that prosecutors say ignored Medicare’s rules for Botox coverage and brazenly fabricated medical records, all to fund the doctor’s lavish lifestyle.

From Los Angeles Times • May 20, 2026

Patel’s best hope is that the lawsuit is dismissed early, because it’s highly unlikely that the Atlantic green-lit a story they knew, as his lawsuit claims, to be full of “false and obviously fabricated allegations.”

From Salon • Apr. 24, 2026

Technically all fiction books are fabricated tales written for profit, but I let dude have his moments.

From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas

Related Words

• abstract
• distorted
• excessive
• extravagant
• false
• farfetched
• hyperbolic
• inflated
• magnified
• melodramatic
• overblown
• overwrought
• preposterous
• pretentious
• stylized
• unrealistic