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
Examples 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
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
Her mother Dee Dee Blanchard lived with Munchausen syndrome by proxy, a psychological disorder in which parents or caregivers seek sympathy through the exaggerated or made-up illnesses of their children.
—Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times, 28 Dec. 2023
Under the visage of the monster he was made-up to be, shined the kindest of spirits.
—Ingrid Vasquez, Peoplemag, 14 Dec. 2023
Clad in a bright matching jumpsuit, blonde hair wrapped delicately in a chic scarf and face made-up proper, donning oversized sunglasses, her charisma is on full display.
—Holly Jones, Variety, 15 Oct. 2023
Gorgeously made-up, with earrings, necklaces, bracelets, rings, a corset, and a cloak, Inanna set forth.
—Matthew Gavin Frank, Harper's Magazine, 11 Aug. 2022
Adjective
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
Her mother Dee Dee Blanchard lived with Munchausen syndrome by proxy, a psychological disorder in which parents or caregivers seek sympathy through the exaggerated or made-up illnesses of their children.
—Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times, 28 Dec. 2023
Under the visage of the monster he was made-up to be, shined the kindest of spirits.
—Ingrid Vasquez, Peoplemag, 14 Dec. 2023
Clad in a bright matching jumpsuit, blonde hair wrapped delicately in a chic scarf and face made-up proper, donning oversized sunglasses, her charisma is on full display.
—Holly Jones, Variety, 15 Oct. 2023
Gorgeously made-up, with earrings, necklaces, bracelets, rings, a corset, and a cloak, Inanna set forth.
—Matthew Gavin Frank, Harper's Magazine, 11 Aug. 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for made-up
Adjective
-
It’s described as a biopic, but Peppiatt admits some parts of the story are fictitious.—
Diana Lodderhose,
Deadline,
23 Jan. 2025
-
Detectives also found that Labelle allegedly altered several documents and provided the homeowner with fictitious receipts to deceive them, according to Riley.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
23 Jan. 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
-
That should become a standard part of the chain-of-thoughts being devised by AI.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes,
23 Dec. 2024
-
Similarly, Ping’s team devised a system that pauses the pH-modulating current just long enough for a graphene transistor to record accurate readings without interference.—
Srishti Gupta,
Interesting Engineering,
20 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
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
-
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
Adjective
-
If a planet is visible from the night side of Earth, it can only ever be seen along an imaginary path through the sky called the ecliptic.—
Jamie Carter,
Forbes,
23 Jan. 2025
-
Monday’s victory was only a month and a week removed from one of the more embarrassing losses of the Knicks season, an NBA Cup quarterfinal loss Young punctuated by rolling a set of imaginary die on The Garden’s center-court logo.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
21 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
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
-
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
Adjective
-
In his office, Berg used an ice axe to pitch Smith on a collaboration, which would eventually follow a fictional frontiersman and mother-son duo navigating the Westward expansion.—
Abbey White,
The Hollywood Reporter,
18 Jan. 2025
-
The duo first shared the screen in 1999's Any Given Sunday, which follows a fictional professional football team.—
Nicholas Rice,
People.com,
18 Jan. 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
Thesaurus Entries Near made-up
Cite this Entry
“Made-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/made-up. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share