fictionalize

American  

[fik-shuh-nl-ahyz] / ˈfɪk ʃə nlˌaɪz /

especially British, fictionalise

verb (used with object)

fictionalized, fictionalizing

1. to make into fiction; give a somewhat imaginative or fictional version of.

   to fictionalize a biography.

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fictionalize British  

/ ˈfɪkʃənəˌlaɪz /

verb

1. (tr) to make into fiction or give a fictional aspect to

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Other Word Forms

• fictionalization noun
• fictionalizer noun
• semifictionalized adjective

Etymology

Origin of fictionalize

First recorded in 1920–25; fictional ( def. ) + -ize

Example Sentences

“Hacks” and “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” successfully fictionalize such frustrations, as the tribute acknowledges by opening with “Hacks” star Jean Smart’s pre-recorded reflections on the late comedian’s influence.

From Salon • May 14, 2025

Here’s a look at shows that fictionalize ways in which brain-infecting viruses, unchecked carbon dioxide and hucksterism could determine whether the world ends with a bang or a whimper.

From Los Angeles Times • May 31, 2023

Noomin waited years after her losses before writing about them, and the conflict between wanting to fictionalize her story and to tell it honestly is dramatized through conversations with an alter ego.

From New York Times • Nov. 22, 2022

“I was very excited to pick it apart and figure out what we wanted to fictionalize to push this story forward,” he said.

From Washington Post • Sep. 4, 2022

It was a means by which, if not to erase or delete memory, to splice it, to fictionalize it, and to some degree begin again; and yet he judged consciousness to be even less real.

From An Apostate: Nawin of Thais by Sills, Steven (Steven David Justin)

Related Words

• fabricate