Basic Details
Word: Fictitious
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Not real or true; made up or invented, such as a character in a story or a false name someone gives.
Synonyms: imaginary, invented, made-up, false
Antonyms: real, true, genuine
How to Spell Fictitious
Syllables: fic - ti - tious
Tricky part: The second t sounds like sh, and the ending is titious (t-i-t-i-o-u-s), not ticious. The c is used only once, at the start.
Watch out for: ficticious, fictitous, fictitius
Memory tip: It starts like fiction, then carries on with t's, not c's: fic-ti-tious has one c and two t's.
Usage Examples
Example 1: Sherlock Holmes is a fictitious detective, but many tourists still visit 221B Baker Street.
Example 2: The thief gave the hotel a fictitious name and address.
Example 3: All the towns in this comic are fictitious, though they look like real places in Goa.
Fun Fact
Fictitious comes from the Latin word ficticius, meaning artificial, which is related to the word fiction.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Champ
Choose the correct option to make a meaningful word:
ficti_ _ _ _ _
a) cious
b) tious
c) sious
d) ceous
Show answer
b) tious. The word is fic-ti-tious, with a t where you hear sh.
Spell Spies
Choose the misspelt word/s in the given sentence:
The detective in the novel used a ficticious name and hid in a crouded hotel near the harbour.
a) ficticious, crouded
b) detective, harbour
c) ficticious, harbour
d) novel, crouded
Show answer
a) ficticious, crouded. Fictitious has a t, not a c, before ious, and crowded is spelt with ow; harbour is the correct British spelling.
Spell Probe
Find the misspelt word in the sentence and choose its meaning:
The author admitted that the village in her prize-winning novel was fictitous, though many readers had searched for it on maps.
a) a person who writes books or articles
b) invented and not real
c) a long written story about imaginary people and events
d) a small group of houses in the countryside
Show answer
b) invented and not real. Fictitous is the misspelt word; fictitious means invented and not real.
Word Puzzle
Match the words with their meanings:
1. fictitious 2. fragile 3. frugal a. easily broken or damaged b. invented and not real c. careful not to waste money
a) 1-a, 2-b, 3-c
b) 1-b, 2-a, 3-c
c) 1-c, 2-a, 3-b
d) 1-b, 2-c, 3-a
Show answer
b) 1-b, 2-a, 3-c. Fictitious is invented, fragile breaks easily and frugal means careful with money.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which of these is a fictitious character?
a) Chhota Bheem
b) Mahatma Gandhi
c) Kalpana Chawla
d) Sachin Tendulkar
Show answer
a) Chhota Bheem
2. If a story is fictitious, it is ____.
a) made up
b) completely true
c) very short
d) written in a newspaper
Show answer
a) made up
