made-up 1 of 2

adjective

ˈmād-ˈəp How to pronounce made-up (audio)
Definition of made-upnext
as in fictitious
not real and existing only in the imagination the bogeyman was one of those made-up monsters whose sole purpose was to threaten children

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made up

2 of 2

verb

past tense of make up
1
as in comprised
to be all the substance of the book is made up of 20 chapters

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2
as in devised
to create or think of by clever use of the imagination she keeps making up excuses as to why she hasn't yet finished the project

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3
as in built
to form by putting together parts or materials we'll have to make up the bookcase, which came in a box marked "some assembly required"

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of made-up
Adjective
That story was 100 percent insane and made-up, and not a word of it is true. — Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Feb. 2026 And there's not one right way to do it, considering the holiday is made-up and the real thing is just around the corner. — Rachel Treisman, NPR, 19 Nov. 2025
Verb
Capital funds for the region next year are expected to total more than $2 billion, a bucket made up of cash from federal, state and local sources. — Talia Soglin, Chicago Tribune, 20 Aug. 2026 With these new inscriptions, the UNESCO World Heritage List is now made up of 1,273 sites across 173 countries. — Brittany Anas, Forbes.com, 13 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for made-up
Recent Examples of Synonyms for made-up
  1. fictitious
  2. comprised
  3. devised
  4. built
  5. imaginary
  6. composed
  7. concocted
  8. constructed
Adjective
  • The undercover analyst noted in a message that his fictitious 4-year-old brother would be home the next day, when the Perez meeting was expected.
    — Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Final testing relied on fictitious data instead of the real records of millions of residents.
    — Komal Goyal, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of fictitious
Verb
  • The latest total comprised 673 arrivals and 833 departures, reflecting a sharp slowdown as operators adjust schedules around the storm.
    — Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Kurtz said on the earnings call that the company added 935 Flex accounts during the quarter and these accounts comprised its top 10 deals by deal value.
    — Samantha Subin, CNBC, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of comprised
Verb
  • To create objects with collapsibility as a core feature, Toyonaga’s team devised an analytic design algorithm allowing incremental construction of complex scissored surfaces.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Then, in a famous 1937 paper, the mathematician Alan Turing devised a model based on hypothetical machines that could read and write symbols printed on an infinite tape according to a set of simple rules.
    — Ben Brubaker, Quanta Magazine, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of devised
Verb
  • On the exhibition side, Digion Cinema will show off an online cinema platform and AR smart glasses built for film viewing.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 26 Aug. 2026
  • With her own recordings, Parton built a varied country repertoire.
    — Jewly Hight, NPR, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of built
Adjective
  • Where travel still leaves room for people The goal isn't to return to some imaginary golden age of travel.
    — Christopher Elliott, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2026
  • There isn’t even a drastic generational shift between that imaginary cast and this film’s actual one.
    — Guy Lodge, Variety, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of imaginary
Verb
  • The active roster is the one composed of 53 players who are immediately eligible to play on game days.
    — Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 29 Aug. 2026
  • The committees are composed primarily of volunteers, and draw from across fields of relevant study and practice.
    — Katia Riddle, NPR, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of composed
Verb
  • In it, Bugliosi lays out the prosecutorial theory — one concocted to put away a man for murder who didn’t actually commit the crimes — that Manson was trying to jump-start a race war, called Helter Skelter.
    — Elisabeth Garber-Paul, Rolling Stone, 16 Aug. 2026
  • The removal of Maelor, however, snowballed into this moment where that character’s absence didn’t allow for that horrific book moment to be realized, so another set of reasons was concocted.
    — Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of concocted
Verb
  • Azalea Group The Palmares’ Golf Course Palmares, which Frank Pennick originally designed, was constructed in 1974 as a conventional 18-hole members' golf club until having a major makeover in 2011.
    — Jeff Goudy, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Since that initial commitment, ATALCO has expanded its alumina production capabilities and constructed a pilot facility for primary gallium production at the Louisiana refinery.
    — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of constructed

Browse Nearby Words

made tracks
made-up
made up
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Cite this Entry

“Made-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/made-up. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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