fictional

[ fik-shuh n-l ]

/ ˈfɪk ʃən l /

invented as part of a work of fiction: Sherlock Holmes is a fictional detective.

of, like, or characterized by fiction: He used a fictional situation to explain the subject.

Nearby words

First recorded in 1840–45; fiction + -al¹

Related formsfic·tion·al·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

The man behind the desk is a fictional character—a ferocious patriot exposing the limits of rigid ideology.
The End of Truthiness: Stephen Colbert’s Sublime Finale|Noel Murray|December 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
So why did I think anyone would want to read yet another book, this time a fictional account of the same story?
Amanda Knox: A Mother’s Obsession|Nina Darnton|November 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Almost every fictional hero of my childhood has come back to life on the big screen in recent years.
Can Tarzan of the Apes Survive in a Post-Colonial World?|Ted Gioia|November 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But what awaited was a joy, a glimpse into the life of the fictional Umbridge.
J.K. Rowling Pens the Greatest Horror Story Ever: Dolores Umbridge Was Real|Kevin Fallon|October 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Big Kahuna Burger is a fictional chain of Hawaiian-themed fast food burger joints out in Los Angeles dreamed up by Tarantino.
The Secrets of ‘Pulp Fiction’: 20 Things You Didn’t Know About the Movie on Its 20th Anniversary|Marlow Stern|October 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It has no fictional connection with the others; it is in no sense a sequel, but rather a companion story.
Astounding Stories, April, 1931|Various
"Stringtown" is the fictional name for the Kentucky Florence of his boyhood.
Kentucky in American Letters, v. 1 of 2|John Wilson Townsend
The world of non A, although placed by its author in some fictional future, seems to describe a logic prevalent in a remote time.
The Civilization of Illiteracy|Mihai Nadin
It is a responsibility the fictional historian must sometimes take.
Nobody's Child|Elizabeth Dejeans
History is a science; the other part is, as all Americans know, the most fictional field we have today.
...After a Few Words...|Gordon Randall Garrett

adj.

"pertaining to fiction," 1843, from fiction + -al (1). Earlier fictitious also was used in this sense (1773).