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.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Recent Examples of made-up
Abbey White,
HollywoodReporter,
23 June 2026
Parts would be missing, or made-up.
—
Kevin Brazil,
Harpers Magazine,
9 June 2026
That story was 100 percent insane and made-up, and not a word of it is true.
—
Mekishana Pierre,
Entertainment Weekly,
6 Feb. 2026
And there's not one right way to do it, considering the holiday is made-up and the real thing is just around the corner.
—
Rachel Treisman,
NPR,
19 Nov. 2025
And while OpenAI’s defenders could chalk that up to an isolated or even made-up incident, within 24 hours of the GPT-5 launch Altman was doing damage control, seemingly caught of guard by the bad reception.
—
Allison Morrow,
CNN Money,
14 Aug. 2025
Ashley Mowreader,
NBC news,
3 July 2026
Peacock made up a huge 44 percent of the audience for the Spanish-language telecasts during group play.
—
Rick Porter,
HollywoodReporter,
2 July 2026
Fans made up 50% of the vote, while current players and a media panel each got 25% to round it out.
—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
2 July 2026
Opponents, made up of public school advocates and the Missouri State Teachers Association, argued that the accountability systems are punitive and that the reliance on growth creates a moving target that would be hard to maintain.
—
Jack Harvel
july 2,
Kansas City Star,
2 July 2026
Model 3 and Model Y cars made up the clear majority of deliveries in the second quarter, according to Tesla’s data, while only 12,364 Cybertrucks were delivered.
—
Zachary Folk,
Forbes.com,
2 July 2026
Currently, over 80% of the luxury market’s value is made up by brands who sponsored sports in the last year.
—
Joe Bobowicz,
Vogue,
25 June 2026
Up to 60% of the human brain is made up of lipids, or fats.
—
Sandee Lamotte,
CNN Money,
18 June 2026
The game between the Atlanta Braves and San Francisco Giants scheduled for Thursday night was postponed due to rain and will be made up in August.
—
CBS News,
18 June 2026
Adjective
Perfectly made-up, everything in place.
—
Abbey White,
HollywoodReporter,
23 June 2026
Parts would be missing, or made-up.
—
Kevin Brazil,
Harpers Magazine,
9 June 2026
That story was 100 percent insane and made-up, and not a word of it is true.
—
Mekishana Pierre,
Entertainment Weekly,
6 Feb. 2026
And there's not one right way to do it, considering the holiday is made-up and the real thing is just around the corner.
—
Rachel Treisman,
NPR,
19 Nov. 2025
And while OpenAI’s defenders could chalk that up to an isolated or even made-up incident, within 24 hours of the GPT-5 launch Altman was doing damage control, seemingly caught of guard by the bad reception.
—
Allison Morrow,
CNN Money,
14 Aug. 2025
Verb
The crowd, mostly made up of Spaniards, reacted from the stands.
—
Ashley Mowreader,
NBC news,
3 July 2026
Peacock made up a huge 44 percent of the audience for the Spanish-language telecasts during group play.
—
Rick Porter,
HollywoodReporter,
2 July 2026
Fans made up 50% of the vote, while current players and a media panel each got 25% to round it out.
—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
2 July 2026
Opponents, made up of public school advocates and the Missouri State Teachers Association, argued that the accountability systems are punitive and that the reliance on growth creates a moving target that would be hard to maintain.
—
Jack Harvel
july 2,
Kansas City Star,
2 July 2026
Model 3 and Model Y cars made up the clear majority of deliveries in the second quarter, according to Tesla’s data, while only 12,364 Cybertrucks were delivered.
—
Zachary Folk,
Forbes.com,
2 July 2026
Currently, over 80% of the luxury market’s value is made up by brands who sponsored sports in the last year.
—
Joe Bobowicz,
Vogue,
25 June 2026
Up to 60% of the human brain is made up of lipids, or fats.
—
Sandee Lamotte,
CNN Money,
18 June 2026
The game between the Atlanta Braves and San Francisco Giants scheduled for Thursday night was postponed due to rain and will be made up in August.
—
CBS News,
18 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for made-up
Adjective
-
The book traces the fictitious Yeoman family’s evolution over generations from self-sufficient homesteaders to participants in global markets.
-
Hosting its usual presentation at its headquarters, located a stone’s throw from San Babila square, the brand installed video walls that broadcast a fictitious runway show created with the help of AI.
Verb
-
For one thing, the Season 3 premiere would have made more sense as a finale, wrapping up all the build-up and political maneuvering that comprised so much of the previous season with some actual payoff.
-
Thankfully for their fans, who comprised about 90 per cent of the attendance, Modric switched into defensive-masterclass mode.
Verb
-
There’s everything from herbals like rhubarb and nettle to green teas and Fortnum’s own signature blends, like Wedding Breakfast or Jubilee, devised in honor of the Queen’s Diamond celebrations in 2012.
-
In addition to removing the commission’s direct authority over the chief job, Houston — who devised his proposal with Council President Kevin Jenkins — sought to eliminate a selection panel that appoints four of the commission’s members, allowing the council to handpick them instead.
Verb
-
Although Edwards said to transform MSG into a wedding would take more than a week, Swift could treat it like the Eras Tour where the set was built and constructed for rehearsals at Rock Lititz in Pennsylvania.
-
Bahr built a genuinely ambitious event out of limited resources.
Adjective
-
In an age of visual and underground detection, why am I delayed at a traffic signal waiting for an imaginary vehicle to enter the intersection?
-
This was long before the days of mo-cap or green screens, and acting with imaginary scene partners was far from the norm.
Verb
-
The Jury will be composed of 24 students, each of them recommended by professors of film studies from various Italian universities, DAMS, and from Ca’ Foscari University in Venice.
-
The administration has also assembled a Disaster Assistance Response Team composed of more than 250 people, including three specialized Urban Search-and-Rescue teams.
Verb
-
In 1949, a Nebraska plumbing contractor named Steve Henson was working in Anchorage, Alaska and concocted a salad dressing out of buttermilk, mayonnaise, and herbs to help feed his crew on remote job sites.
-
In the one that opens the film, Forky (Tony Hale), the googly-eyed spork, marries a plastic knife called Karen Beverly (Melissa Villaseñor), a name so perfectly unmelodious that only a kid, or an adult exceptionally good at thinking like one, could have concocted it.
Verb
-
The cart is carefully constructed with a wood-like resin frame and cabinets that are especially durable and resistant to rust, mildew, and intense UV rays.
-
As a result, a memorial pavilion, where students can play soccer, has been installed in Blakeley’s school in her honor, and a butterfly climber has been constructed at a local Bellaire park.
Cite this Entry
“Made-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/made-up. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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