First Known Use: 14th century
Dictionary
fiction
noun fic·tion \ˈfik-shən\
: written stories about people and events that are not real : literature that tells stories which are imagined by the writer
: something that is not true
Full Definition of FICTION
1
a : something invented by the imagination or feigned; specifically : an invented story b : fictitious literature (as novels or short stories) c : a work of fiction; especially : novel
2
a : an assumption of a possibility as a fact irrespective of the question of its truth <a legal fiction> b : a useful illusion or pretense
3
: the action of feigning or of creating with the imagination
— fic·tion·al \-shnəl, -shə-nəl\ adjective
— fic·tion·al·i·ty \ˌfik-shə-ˈna-lə-tē\ noun
— fic·tion·al·ly \ˈfik-shnə-lē, -shə-nəl-ē\ adverb
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Origin of FICTION
Middle English ficcioun, from Middle French fiction, from Latin fiction-, fictio act of fashioning, fiction, from fingere to shape, fashion, feign — more at dough
Related to FICTION
- Antonyms
- fact, materiality, reality
Other Literature Terms
FICTIONAL Defined for Kids
fiction
noun fic·tion \ˈfik-shən\
Definition of FICTION for Kids
1
: something told or written that is not fact
2
: a made-up story
3
: works of literature that are not true stories
Word Root of FICTION
The Latin word fingere, meaning “to shape” or “to mold,” and its form fictus give us the roots fig and fict. Words from the Latin fingere have something to do with shaping. The figure of something, especially a person's body, is its shape. To disfigure is to change the shape and ruin the looks of something. Fiction is something written that is not fact but is shaped by the imagination.
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Next Word in the Dictionary: fictionalisePrevious Word in the Dictionary: fictileAll Words Near: fiction
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