fabricated

American  

[fab-ri-key-tid] / ˈfæb rɪˌkeɪ tɪd /

adjective

1. made by art or skill and labor.

   For the staircases, the ceramics manufacturer supplied a specially fabricated porcelain tile resembling natural stone.

2. made by assembling parts or sections.

   Plywood is a fabricated wood board made of three or more panels of wood veneer laid one on top of another.

3. (of a lie, story, excuse, etc.) devised or invented.

   That is a wholly fabricated allegation without any foundation whatsoever.

4. faked or forged.

   Scientists reported that the fabricated fossil had been made up of parts of a primitive bird and a dinosaur, glued together by a farmer.

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verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of fabricate.

Other Word Forms

• quasi-fabricated adjective
• unfabricated adjective
• well-fabricated adjective

Etymology

Origin of fabricated

First recorded in 1770–80; fabricate + -ed ² ( def. ) for the adjective senses; fabricate + -ed ¹ ( def. ) for the verb sense

Explanation

Something that's fabricated is faked or invented, like a fabricated story about how the dog ate your homework. Trust us, no one believes that. If a journalist uses fabricated quotes, it means he made them up, and if a police officer uses fabricated evidence, it means she deliberately planted or falsified it. Some fabricated things are literally manufactured, like the fabricated parts used to build a car. Both senses of this adjective come from the verb fabricate, "construct" or "make," and share a root with fabric that means "fit together."

Example Sentences

In some cases they listed properties using false or nonexistent addresses and posted fabricated reviews to make listings appear more legitimate.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 15, 2026

A day later, during a meeting with our undercover reporter, Tanisa appeared confident that these changes would not make it any harder to obtain asylum on the basis of fabricated evidence.

From BBC • Apr. 15, 2026

One user’s Google Gemini chatbot fabricated calendar and email details, creating the false appearance of a data breach.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 14, 2026

Social media is rife with fabricated satellite imagery, heatmaps and other pseudo forensic visuals used to cast doubt on genuine evidence from the war, researchers say.

From Barron's • Apr. 2, 2026

Immediately below this manifesto squats the stove, fabricated from a rusty oil drum.

From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer

Related Words

• abstract
• distorted
• excessive
• extravagant
• false
• farfetched
• hyperbolic
• inflated
• magnified
• melodramatic
• overblown
• overwrought
• preposterous
• pretentious
• stylized
• unrealistic