Standard Lemma guide

factitious

adj · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /fækˈtɪʃəs/
  • rhymes with -ɪʃəs
  • General-American: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: F AE0 K T IH1 SH AH0 S Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Created by humans; artificial.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Counterfeit, fabricated, fake.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: formal

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: artificial

Antonyms: none provided

3

adjective satellite

Meaning 3

not produced by natural forces

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • brokers created a factitious demand for stocks

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin factītius (“artificial”), alternative form of factīcius, from faciō (“to make, do”). Doublet of fetish.

Across languages

Translations

21 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Armenian: արհեստական (arhestakan) — created by man
  • Bulgarian: изкуствен (izkustven) — created by man
  • Catalan: factici — created by man
  • Chinese Mandarin: 人為的 /人为的 (rénwéi de) — created by man
  • Chinese Mandarin: 人工的 (réngōng de) — created by man
  • Finnish: keinotekoinen — created by man
  • Greek: τεχνητός (technitós) — created by man
  • Latin: factīcius — created by man
  • Russian: иску́сственный (iskússtvennyj) — created by man
  • Spanish: facticio — created by man
  • Swedish: konstgjord — created by man
  • Armenian: շինծու (šincu) — counterfeit, fabricated
  • Armenian: արհեստական (arhestakan) — counterfeit, fabricated
  • Armenian: հնարովի (hnarovi) — counterfeit, fabricated
  • Bulgarian: фалшив (falšiv) — counterfeit, fabricated
  • Bulgarian: престорен (prestoren) — counterfeit, fabricated
  • Catalan: factici — counterfeit, fabricated
  • Finnish: väärennetty — counterfeit, fabricated
  • French: factice — counterfeit, fabricated
  • Greek: πλαστός (plastós) — counterfeit, fabricated
  • Russian: подде́льный (poddélʹnyj) — counterfeit, fabricated