fiction
Americannoun
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the class of literature comprising works of imaginative narration, especially in prose form.
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works of this class, as novels or short stories.
detective fiction.
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something feigned, invented, or imagined; a made-up story.
We've all heard the fiction of her being in delicate health.
- Antonyms:
- fact
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the act of feigning, inventing, or imagining.
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an imaginary thing or event, postulated for the purposes of argument or explanation.
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Law. an allegation that a fact exists that is known not to exist, made by authority of law to bring a case within the operation of a rule of law.
noun
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literary works invented by the imagination, such as novels or short stories
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an invented story or explanation; lie
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the act of inventing a story or explanation
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law something assumed to be true for the sake of convenience, though probably false
Related Words
Fiction, fabrication, figment suggest a story that is without basis in reality. Fiction suggests a story invented and fashioned either to entertain or to deceive: clever fiction; pure fiction. Fabrication applies particularly to a false but carefully invented statement or series of statements, in which some truth is sometimes interwoven, the whole usually intended to deceive: fabrications to lure speculators. Figment applies to a tale, idea, or statement often made up to explain, justify, or glorify oneself: His rich uncle was a figment of his imagination.
Other Word Forms
- fictional adjective
- fictionally adverb
- fictioneer noun
- profiction adjective
- semifiction noun
- semifictional adjective
- semifictionally adverb
Etymology
Origin of fiction
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English ficcio(u)n, from French, from Latin fictiōn- (stem of fictiō ) “a shaping,” hence “a feigning, fiction,” equivalent to fict(us) “molded” (past participle of fingere ) + -iōn- -ion; figment ( def. )
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.
