as in fictitious
not real and existing only in the imagination
the bogeyman was one of those made-up monsters whose sole purpose was to threaten children
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in comprised
to be all the substance of
the book is made up of 20 chapters
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in devised
to create or think of by clever use of the imagination
she keeps making up excuses as to why she hasn't yet finished the project
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in built
to form by putting together parts or materials
we'll have to make up the bookcase, which came in a box marked "some assembly required"
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of made-up
John W. Dean, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Apr. 2025
Canons are as made-up as the stories that are part of them, so Dark Forces still has value as part of an old continuity that remains fun and quite wacky at times.
—Fran Ruiz, Space.com, 7 Mar. 2025
According to Jackson, our completely made-up (but almost certainly accurate) mythology for the ABC sudser isn’t necessarily dead in the water.
—Claire Franken, TVLine, 4 Mar. 2025
Canons are as made-up as the stories that are part of them, so Dark Forces still has value as part of an old continuity that remains fun and quite wacky at times.
—Fran Ruiz, Space.com, 7 Mar. 2025
To answer these questions, a group of 15 participants made-up of university students, recent graduates, and young adults, played the four online games mentioned—Valorant, Counter-Strike 2, Overwatch 2, and Fortnite.
—Mia Taylor, Parents, 16 Jan. 2025
Telling lies to appease a user even if a false or made-up answer is provided.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes, 16 Sep. 2024
But to pursue a state of purity—even a fictional one; even a made-up, obviously impure one—still feels righteous.
—Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 26 Aug. 2024
Not long after that, the reader’s manager started reprimanding Autumn Leaves 523 for humming, misdirecting a package, and other minor or made-up infractions.
—Karla Miller, Washington Post, 11 Apr. 2024
Adjective
American agricultural products once made-up 40 percent of China's market; that amount has fallen below 20 percent.
—John W. Dean, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Apr. 2025
Canons are as made-up as the stories that are part of them, so Dark Forces still has value as part of an old continuity that remains fun and quite wacky at times.
—Fran Ruiz, Space.com, 7 Mar. 2025
According to Jackson, our completely made-up (but almost certainly accurate) mythology for the ABC sudser isn’t necessarily dead in the water.
—Claire Franken, TVLine, 4 Mar. 2025
Canons are as made-up as the stories that are part of them, so Dark Forces still has value as part of an old continuity that remains fun and quite wacky at times.
—Fran Ruiz, Space.com, 7 Mar. 2025
To answer these questions, a group of 15 participants made-up of university students, recent graduates, and young adults, played the four online games mentioned—Valorant, Counter-Strike 2, Overwatch 2, and Fortnite.
—Mia Taylor, Parents, 16 Jan. 2025
Telling lies to appease a user even if a false or made-up answer is provided.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes, 16 Sep. 2024
But to pursue a state of purity—even a fictional one; even a made-up, obviously impure one—still feels righteous.
—Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 26 Aug. 2024
Not long after that, the reader’s manager started reprimanding Autumn Leaves 523 for humming, misdirecting a package, and other minor or made-up infractions.
—Karla Miller, Washington Post, 11 Apr. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for made-up
Adjective
-
Amid the audience laughter at a lecture, U.S. Navy oceanographer Robert Ballard bit his tongue and told the questioner the jewelry was fictitious.—
Terry Collins,
USA Today,
14 Apr. 2025
-
Searches were carried out in France and Belgium last month to determine if his Belgian tax domicile was fictitious.—
Saskya Vandoorne,
CNN,
24 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
Carter’s look comprised a corset top with crystal embellishments and matching pants featuring a slit around the knees to improve her mobility during the performance.—
Renan Botelho,
WWD,
26 Dec. 2024
-
Each unit comprised a photon transceiver and a digital processing unit, and the devices were hooked together via 10 km of dedicated optical fiber.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
21 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
Before the Frazier and Foreman fight was devised, former heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali was stripped of the title.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
Newsweek,
22 Mar. 2025
-
Price controls don’t work, whether they’re devised domestically or imported from abroad.—
Sally Pipes,
Forbes,
21 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
The Teddy Bear, velocipedes, and the Erector Set was first marketed in 1913, as a toy that could be put together as one thing, taken apart and built into something else.—
Dawn Mitchell,
The Indianapolis Star,
24 Dec. 2024
-
As if the children of the Jews who have built so much of and in Chicago were merely an afterthought.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Dec. 2024
Adjective
-
The Emmy Award-winner plays the Black woman stand-in for a white male protagonist in an imaginary story to repurpose the popularity of a once successful Keyworth Pictures’ franchise.—
Malik Peay,
Essence,
17 Apr. 2025
-
Perception Of Threat: In situations of aggression, whether real or imaginary, a natural response is to fight back.—
Naira Velumyan,
Forbes.com,
15 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
The monument is composed of rocks transported from far and wide—impressive feats of shipping for its Neolithic builders.—
Sonja Anderson,
Smithsonian Magazine,
24 Dec. 2024
-
Every product was determined to have excelled in each category by our editorial team, which is composed of in-house writers and editors as well as contributors—along with special consideration from dermatologists.—
Jenny Berg,
Allure,
24 Dec. 2024
Adjective
-
The star and executive producer briefly revived the series in the fictional town of Lanford, Illinois, two decades later in March 2018.—
Bryan Alexander,
USA Today,
25 Apr. 2025
-
Though Moose Mountain is very much a fictional location, the trio (and your toddler) still end up learning real facts about weather stations, animals, and bees.—
Annabelle Canela,
Parents,
24 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
The Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials (CIO), working with police and military investigators, is probing whether Yoon's actions constituted rebellion.—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
2 Jan. 2025
-
In a forum on Eleven Warriors, a popular Buckeyes fan website, a commenter recently polled fellow fans about what constituted success this season.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC News,
31 Dec. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Made-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/made-up. Accessed 30 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share