factitious
Americanadjective
-
not spontaneous or natural; artificial; contrived.
factitious laughter; factitious enthusiasm.
-
made; manufactured.
a decoration of factitious flowers and leaves.
adjective
-
artificial rather than natural
factitious demands created by the mass media
-
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
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Make Do: Fac
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Into the Wild
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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
For other cases the reader is referred to the publications of Dr. Beddoes; Confederations on the Use of Factitious Airs, sold by Johnson, London.
From Zoonomia, Vol. II Or, the Laws of Organic Life by Darwin, Erasmus
Factitious skin diseases are seen most commonly on the face and extremities, especially on the left side—in other words, on the most accessible parts of the body.
From Aids to Forensic Medicine and Toxicology by Robertson, W. G. Aitchison (William George Aitchison )
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.
