factitious

[ fak-tish-uhs ]
See synonyms for factitious on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. not spontaneous or natural; artificial; contrived: factitious laughter; factitious enthusiasm.

  2. made; manufactured: a decoration of factitious flowers and leaves.

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Origin of factitious

1
First recorded in 1640–50, factitious is from the Latin word factīcius “made by art, artificial.” See fact, -itious

Other words from factitious

  • fac·ti·tious·ly, adverb
  • fac·ti·tious·ness, noun
  • non·fac·ti·tious, adjective
  • non·fac·ti·tious·ly, adverb
  • non·fac·ti·tious·ness, noun
  • o·ver·fac·ti·tious, adjective

Words that may be confused with factitious

Words Nearby factitious

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use factitious in a sentence

  • Under these conditions it is again hidden beneath heterogeneous dogmas, obscure comments, and factitious explanations.

    My Religion | Leo Tolstoy
  • But before he had walked half a square, the factitious energy inspired by drink deserted him.

    File No. 113 | Emile Gaboriau
  • The entire structure of their social life reposed on feelings, and not on a factitious conception, on a work of art.

    The Aesthetical Essays | Friedrich Schiller
  • His mind turns towards combinations, arrangements, legal or factitious organisations.

    Essays on Political Economy | Frederic Bastiat
  • The prices of farms and improvements vary greatly, and are influenced much by factitious and local circumstances.

British Dictionary definitions for factitious

factitious

/ (fækˈtɪʃəs) /


adjective
  1. artificial rather than natural: factitious demands created by the mass media

  2. not genuine; sham: factitious enthusiasm

Origin of factitious

1
C17: from Latin factīcius, from facere to make, do

Derived forms of factitious

  • factitiously, adverb
  • factitiousness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012