factitious

American  

[fak-tish-uhs] / fækˈtɪʃ əs /

adjective

1. not spontaneous or natural; artificial; contrived.

   factitious laughter; factitious enthusiasm.

2. made; manufactured.

   a decoration of factitious flowers and leaves.

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factitious British  

/ fækˈtɪʃəs /

adjective

1. artificial rather than natural

   factitious demands created by the mass media

2. not genuine; sham

   factitious enthusiasm

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• factitiousness
  noun
• factitiously
  adverb
• overfactitious
  adjective
• nonfactitiously
  adverb
• nonfactitious
  adjective
• nonfactitiousness
  noun

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:

• factitious vs. fictitious

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."