Factitious — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

adjective /fak-ˈti-shəs/ fac·ti·tious

Meaning & Definition of Factitious

Factitious (adjective)

  1. produced by humans rather than by natural forces
  2. formed by or adapted to an artificial or conventional standard
  3. produced by special effort, not genuine

Factitious (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. being such in appearance only and made with or manufactured from usually cheaper materials

    "presumably the statue is of factitious marble, because for that price you're not going to get the real stuff"

    similar: artificial, bogus, dummy, ersatz, fake, false, faux, imitation, imitative, man-made, mimic, mock, pretend, sham, simulated, substitute, synthetic
    related: cultured, manufactured, process, unauthentic, adulterated, designer, doctored, engineered, fudged, juggled, manipulated, tampered (with), concocted, fabricated, counterfeit, deceptive, forged, fraudulent, misleading, phony, affected, brummagem, feigned, pinchbeck, pseudo, spurious
    opposite: genuine, natural, real
    near: authentic, bona fide, legitimate, true, premium, quality, valuable, pure, unadulterated

  2. lacking in natural or spontaneous quality

    "the factitious friendliness shown by the beauty-pageant contestants to one another"

    similar: affected, artificial, assumed, bogus, contrived, fake, false, feigned, forced, mechanical, mock, phony, plastic, pretended, pseudo, put-on, sham, simulated, spurious, strained, unnatural
    related: automatic, canned, concocted, fabricated, hokey, labored, manufactured, pat, unauthentic, unreal, unrealistic, double-dealing, empty, facile, hollow, hypocritical, insincere, left-handed, mealy, mealymouthed, two-faced, unctuous, exaggerated, histrionic, melodramatic, overacted, overdone, theatrical, cute, cutesy, genteel, goody-goody, mincing, overrefined, simpering, conventional, formal, impersonal, inflexible, rigid, stiff, stylized, wooden, artful, calculated, conscious, cultivated, deliberate, premeditated, studied
    opposite: artless, genuine, natural, spontaneous, unaffected, uncontrived, unfeigned, unforced
    near: authentic, bona fide, real, realistic, right, true, honest, ingenuous, sincere, unpretending, easy, effortless, smooth, extemporaneous, impromptu, impulsive, instinctive, unconscious, unprompted, unrehearsed, unstudied

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Factitious

The most common words with a similar meaning to Factitious:

artificial, bogus, dummy, ersatz, fake, false, faux, imitation, imitative, man-made, mimic, mock, pretend, sham, simulated, substitute, synthetic, affected, assumed, contrived, feigned, forced, mechanical, phony, plastic, pretended, pseudo, put-on, spurious, strained, unnatural

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Factitious

Words with the opposite meaning of Factitious:

genuine, natural, real, artless, spontaneous, unaffected, uncontrived, unfeigned, unforced

Related Words for Factitious

cultured, manufactured, process, unauthentic, adulterated, designer, doctored, engineered, fudged, juggled, manipulated, tampered (with), concocted, fabricated, counterfeit, deceptive, forged, fraudulent, misleading, brummagem, pinchbeck, automatic, canned, hokey, labored, pat, unreal, unrealistic, double-dealing, empty

Near Antonyms of Factitious

authentic, bona fide, legitimate, true, premium, quality, valuable, pure, unadulterated, realistic, right, honest, ingenuous, sincere, unpretending, easy, effortless, smooth, extemporaneous, impromptu, impulsive, instinctive, unconscious, unprompted, unrehearsed, unstudied

Word Forms of Factitious

Derived words: factitiously (adverb), factitiousness (noun)

Origin & Etymology of Factitious

borrowed from Latin factīcius "manufactured, artificial," from factus (past participle of facere "to make, create, bring about") + -īcius -itious fact

First known use: circa 1624

Words & Phrases Containing Factitious

factitious disorder

Frequently Asked Questions about Factitious

What does "Factitious" mean?

"Factitious" means produced by humans rather than by natural forces. As an adjective, it is defined as: produced by humans rather than by natural forces. It has 2 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Factitious"?

Other words for "Factitious" include artificial, bogus, dummy, ersatz, fake, false, faux and imitation. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Factitious" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Factitious"?

There are 98 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Factitious". Common alternatives include artificial, bogus, dummy, ersatz, fake, false, faux, imitation, imitative and man-made.

What is the opposite of "Factitious"?

Antonyms of "Factitious" include genuine, natural, real, artless, spontaneous, unaffected, uncontrived and unfeigned. Near antonyms include authentic, bona fide, legitimate and true.

How do you use "Factitious" in a sentence?

Examples of "Factitious" in a sentence: "presumably the statue is of factitious marble, because for that price you're not going to get the real stuff"; "the factitious friendliness shown by the beauty-pageant contestants to one another".

Is "Factitious" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Factitious" is an adjective.

How do you pronounce "Factitious"?

"Factitious" is pronounced /fak-ˈti-shəs/ and divided into syllables as fac·ti·tious.

What is the origin of the word "Factitious"?

"Factitious" comes from borrowed from Latin factīcius "manufactured, artificial," from factus (past participle of facere "to make, create, bring about") + -īcius -itious fact. First known use: circa 1624.