1 factitious | Definition of factitious
Logo
Menu
dictionary thesaurus

factitious

adjective
fac·​ti·​tious | \ fak-ˈti-shəs How to pronounce factitious (audio) \

Definition of factitious

1 : produced by humans rather than by natural forces It seems probable that several of the mounds are factitious.
2a : formed by or adapted to an artificial or conventional standard factitious tastes and values
b : produced by special effort : sham created a factitious demand by spreading rumors of shortage
Other Words from factitious Synonyms & Antonyms Did You Know? More Example Sentences Learn More about factitious

Keep scrolling for more

Other Words from factitious

factitiously adverb
factitiousness noun

Did You Know?

Like the common words "fact" and "factual," "factitious" ultimately comes from the Latin verb facere, meaning "to do" or "to make." But in current use, "factitious" has little to do with things factual and true - in fact, "factitious" often implies the opposite. The most immediate ancestor of "factitious" is the Latin adjective facticius, meaning "made by art" or "artificial." When English speakers first adopted the word as "factitious" in the 17th century, it meant "produced by human effort or skill" (rather than arising from nature). This meaning gave rise to such meanings as "artificial" and "false" or "feigned."

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

Recent Examples on the Web

 Culture wars have grown more factitious, partisan polarization has increased, and social trust has fallen. — Fred Bauer, National Review, "Saving Liberty from Liberalism," 17 Jan. 2018 That’s because, for the most part, music is used in movies as sonic wallpaper, covering silences and images with an indifferent and casually factitious unity. — Richard Brody, The New Yorker, "Ornette Coleman’s Inspired Soundtrack for “Who’s Crazy?”," 13 Mar. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'factitious.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of factitious

circa 1624, in the meaning defined at sense 2

History and Etymology for factitious

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

Keep scrolling for more

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for factitious

factitious

adjective
fac·​ti·​tious | \ fak-ˈtish-əs How to pronounce factitious (audio) \

Medical Definition of factitious

: not produced by natural means

Keep scrolling for more

More from Merriam-Webster on factitious

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with factitious

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for factitious

Spanish Central: Translation of factitious

Nglish: Translation of factitious for Spanish Speakers

WORD OF THE DAY

See Definitions and Examples

Get Word of the Day daily email!