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

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

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

Example Sentences

Prof Marc Feldman is one of the world's most renowned experts on factitious disorders like Munchausen syndrome.

From BBC

Dr. Marc Feldman is a psychiatrist who studies factitious disorders in which a person acts as if they, or a loved one, have a disease.

From New York Times

The first story is about young women living in a college dorm for students with factitious disorders — they are referred to not by name, but by number — who become subjects of a sociological thesis.

From New York Times

This is a fine subject for a drama, but Mr. White’s script, which has Phil answer in blank monosyllables, feels factitious and stagy.

From New York Times

There is even a pathological manifestation of the condition called “factitious victimisation”, of which Munchausen syndrome is an extreme version.

From The Guardian