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
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Recent Examples of made-up
Lisa Jarvis, Mercury News, 6 June 2025
The irony is that it is accepted that the tabloids found in the grocery store checkout aisle are often made-up or greatly exaggerated.
—Peter Suciu, Forbes.com, 5 June 2025
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
Adjective
Something more insidious is at play with all of the half-baked or made-up statistics.
—Lisa Jarvis, Mercury News, 6 June 2025
The irony is that it is accepted that the tabloids found in the grocery store checkout aisle are often made-up or greatly exaggerated.
—Peter Suciu, Forbes.com, 5 June 2025
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for made-up
Adjective
-
An adoption of a fictitious docudrama style, where scenarios are created for the show’s cast, brought in more subpar episodes which many feel didn’t help the cause.—
Kevin Dolak,
HollywoodReporter,
22 July 2025
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Unsurprisingly, then, scammers are also keen to exploit this by way of fictitious job opportunities through unofficial channels, websites, emails, and text messages.—
Davey Winder,
Forbes.com,
19 July 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
-
Is all this merely a sci-fi imaginary consideration?—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
19 July 2025
-
Any other Countdown viewers dig their fingernails into an imaginary steering wheel when this second SUV followed his buddy into this left turn with zero regard for the oncoming white sedan?!—
Matt Webb Mitovich,
TVLine,
18 July 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
-
Nearly two decades ago, Miley Cyrus took on the persona of fictional superstar Hannah Montana.—
Allison Kiehl,
The Tennessean,
30 July 2025
-
The main song Golden has topped the Billboard 100 and together the songs of fictional bands HUNTR/X and Saja Boys have beat a billion streams across Spotify and YouTube.—
Amy Sterling,
Forbes.com,
30 July 2025
Verb
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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 5 Aug. 2025.
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