fictitious

American  

[fik-tish-uhs] / fɪkˈtɪʃ əs /

adjective

1. created, taken, or assumed for the sake of concealment; not genuine; false.

   fictitious names.

   Synonyms:

   fake, spurious

2. of, relating to, or consisting of fiction; imaginatively produced or set forth; created by the imagination.

   a fictitious hero.

   Synonyms:

   fictional

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fictitious British  

/ fɪkˈtɪʃəs /

adjective

1. not genuine or authentic; assumed; false

   to give a fictitious address

2. of, related to, or characteristic of fiction; created by the imagination

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Usage

What’s the difference between fictitious, fictional, and fictive? Fictitious most commonly means false or made up, as in I signed in with a fictitious name to hide my identity. Fictional means invented as part of a work of fiction, as in Sherlock Holmes is a fictional detective or This account is entirely fictional—it’s not based on a true story. Fictive is a much less commonly used word that means imaginary or relating to or capable of creating fiction, as in a fictive imagination. Confusingly, their meanings can overlap—fictitious can sometimes mean the same thing as fictional, and fictive can sometimes mean the same thing as fictitious. It can be tough to remember which word is the right one to use since all three are adjectives that are used in contexts involving things that are imagined or made up. Still, they are usually used in pretty specific ways. Fictitious is most commonly used in the context of things that are made up to conceal something or deceive someone in real life, whereas fictional is almost always applied to stories and characters that are part of creative works, like books and movies. Fictitious can usually be replaced with the word fake—this is not the case for fictional. Here’s an example of fictitious, fictional, and fictive used correctly in the same sentence. Example: Instead of using fictitious names that no one would notice, his aliases were the names of fictional characters, like Clark Kent and Peter Parker—you would think a con artist would have a more fictive imagination. Want to learn more? Read the full breakdown of the difference between fictitious, fictional, and fictive.

Other Word Forms

• fictitiously adverb
• fictitiousness noun
• half-fictitious adjective
• half-fictitiously adverb
• half-fictitiousness noun
• nonfictitious adjective
• nonfictitiously adverb
• nonfictitiousness noun
• quasi-fictitious adjective
• quasi-fictitiously adverb
• semifictitious adjective
• unfictitious adjective
• unfictitiously adverb

Etymology

Origin of fictitious

1605–15; from Latin fictīcius “artificial,” equivalent to fict(us) “shaped, feigned” ( fiction ) + -īcius -itious

Compare meaning

How does fictitious compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• factitious vs. fictitious

Explanation

Fictitious means made up, or imaginary. No matter how real Scarlett O'Hara might seem in "Gone With the Wind," she's a fictitious character invented by author Margaret Mitchell. When you look at the word fictitious, you'll probably notice that it bears a striking resemblance to fiction — which is an imaginary story about people and events that are made up for the purpose of entertaining readers. Fictitious can also be used to mean "trick or deceive." A thief assumes a fictitious name to hide his real identity and evade capture.

Example Sentences

She did concede, however, that the fictitious citations “‘may have’ come from her use of AI tools,” Buchanan noted.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 27, 2026

The report said that there were around one million cars on the road which had been registered by nearly 300 "fictitious companies operating totally free of state control".

From BBC • Mar. 12, 2026

Filings also note a $1 million payment to Weiss that entailed compensation for family members and payments to his personal American Express card, and a $205,500 disbursement to Stitsky “including salary to a fictitious person.”

From Barron's • Mar. 4, 2026

In one experiment, the researchers showed 27,830 Facebook users an ad for a fictitious electronic store in which the store either denied or embraced a one-star review.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 27, 2026

He scratched out the fictitious name and wrote “Mike L. Jordan” instead.

From "The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street" by Karina Yan Glaser

Related Words

• apocryphal
• bogus
• counterfeit
• fabricated
• false
• fanciful
• fictional
• imaginary
• make believe
• misleading
• mythical
• phony
• sham
• spurious