fictional
gb/fˈɪkʃənəl/ us/fˈɪkʃənəl/
B1
English
~ 8500
kitalált, képzeletbeli, fikciós, szépirodalmi, hamis, koholt
B1
1
kitalált
A2
képzeletbeli
B1
Usage pattern:
a fictional [character/place/story/world]
Sherlock Holmes is a fictional detective created by Arthur Conan Doyle.
Sherlock Holmes egy Arthur Conan Doyle által megalkotott kitalált nyomozó.
The film is set in a fictional city that looks a lot like New York.
A film egy kitalált városban játszódik, amely nagyon hasonlít New Yorkra.
Children often mix up fictional heroes with real historical figures.
The game takes place in a richly detailed fictional world.
The author based the fictional family on people from her hometown.
Learner examples
Harry Potter is a famous fictional boy.
Harry Potter egy híres kitalált fiú.
This movie shows a fictional country in space.
Ez a film egy képzeletbeli országot mutat be az űrben.
She wrote a story about a fictional school.
The map in the book shows a fictional island.
That TV show is about a fictional doctor.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse "fictional" with "fake". "Fictional" is neutral and usually refers to invented people, places, or things in stories. "Fake" often sounds negative or dishonest. Also, learners may mix up "fictional" and "fictitious"; both mean "not real", but "fictitious" is more formal and often used for names, addresses, or claims in legal or official contexts.
Meaning
imaginary and not real
Collocations
fictional character
|fictional world
|fictional city
|fictional story
|purely fictional
|entirely fictional
Synonyms
imaginary (Very close in meaning; often used more for ideas or friends in a child’s mind, while "fictional" is strongly tied to stories.)
|
invented (Focuses on being created by someone; does not always imply a story, while "fictional" usually does.)
|
made-up (More informal; can sound slightly negative, while "fictional" is neutral and common in writing.)
Antonyms
real (Emphasizes actually existing in the world, not just in a story.)
|
non-fictional (More technical; directly contrasts with things that belong to the realm of fiction.)
Themes
art
|media
|literature
|core_vocabulary
Definition
Not real; only in a book, film, game, or someone’s mind.
Invented by the imagination and not existing in real life.
B2
2
fikciós
B2
szépirodalmi
B2
Usage pattern:
fictional [literature/work/narrative/writing]
The course compares fictional narratives with historical documents.
A kurzuson fikciós elbeszéléseket hasonlítanak össze történelmi dokumentumokkal.
Her research focuses on fictional representations of war in 20th-century novels.
Kutatása a háború 20. századi regényekben megjelenő fikciós ábrázolásaira összpontosít.
The museum includes both documentary films and fictional works inspired by real events.
He prefers fictional writing to biographies and essays.
The award is given for outstanding achievement in fictional literature.
Learner examples
This class is about fictional writing, not news articles.
Ezen az órán szépirodalmi szövegekről van szó, nem hírcikkekről.
We read both fictional and non-fictional books this year.
Idén szépirodalmi és ismeretterjesztő könyveket is olvastunk.
She studied fictional stories about life in big cities.
The festival shows fictional films and also some documentaries.
I like fictional books more than travel books.
Common mistake:
Learners may think "fictional" always means simply "not true" and miss the idea of a category or genre. In this sense, "fictional" describes types of writing or art (like novels or films) that are created as stories, not reports of real events.
Meaning
relating to the genre of fiction
Collocations
fictional literature
|fictional narrative
|fictional writing
|fictional works
|fictional genres
Synonyms
fictive (More formal and literary; used mainly in academic or critical writing about literature and art.)
|
novelistic (Emphasizes qualities typical of novels, and is usually used in literary criticism rather than everyday speech.)
Antonyms
non-fictional (Directly contrasts with writing based on real facts, such as journalism, history, or biography.)
Themes
literature
|media
|arts_entertainment
|education
Definition
About stories that are not true, not about real facts or history.
Relating to or characteristic of works of fiction, as opposed to factual or documentary writing.
C1
3
Usage pattern:
a fictional [account/version/story/explanation]
The report gave a largely fictional account of what happened that night.
A jelentés jórészt kitalált beszámolót adott arról, mi történt azon az éjszakán.
Investigators discovered that the CEO had provided fictional sales figures to investors.
A nyomozók kiderítették, hogy a vezérigazgató hamis értékesítési adatokat adott meg a befektetőknek.
Historians criticized the film for its almost entirely fictional version of events.
Most of the story is fictional, even though it uses real names and places.
The article turned out to be based on fictional sources that did not exist.
Learner examples
The witness told a fictional story to the police.
A tanú kitalált történetet mondott a rendőrségnek.
These numbers are fictional and do not match the real sales.
Ezek a számok kitaláltak, és nem egyeznek a valós eladásokkal.
The movie shows a fictional version of the true story.
His report was fictional, not factual.
They wrote a fictional account instead of the real history.
Common mistake:
Learners may use "fictional" when they mean "wrong" or "incorrect". "Fictional" suggests something is invented like a story, often in a detailed way, not just slightly mistaken.
Meaning
fabricated or false, not factual
Collocations
fictional account
|largely fictional
|almost entirely fictional
|wholly fictional
|a fictional version of events
Synonyms
fabricated (Stresses that something was deliberately invented, often to deceive, while "fictional" can be more neutral or literary.)
|
false (General term meaning not true; lacks the specific link to story-like invention that "fictional" suggests.)
Antonyms
factual (Emphasizes being based on real, checkable facts, the opposite of an invented description.)
|
accurate (Highlights being correct and matching reality, rather than invented or distorted.)
Themes
truth
|media
|politics
|communication
|core_vocabulary
Definition
Not true and not based on real facts, even if it is told like a real story.
Not based on real facts or events, especially when describing a report, story, or claim that is presented as if it were true.
Grammar
Dictionary form
fictional
IPA
GB/fˈɪkʃənəl/
US/fˈɪkʃənəl/
Syllables & stress
fic - tion - al (3 syllables)
Stress on 1st syllable (fic)
Word forms
Adjective
- Base: fictional
Word family
Core family
fiction
noun B1
Related words
fictitious
adjective
fictionalize
verb
Negative and opposite forms
nonfiction
noun B1
nonfictional
adjective
Advanced or less common
fictionally
adverb
fictionalization
noun
Expressions
fictional account
1/fˈɪkʃənəl əkˈaʊnt/
fixed phrase
an invented description of events
A report or story about events that is made up and not based on real facts.
Examples
- The documentary shows that the book is a largely fictional account of the war.
- The journalist was fired for publishing a fictional account of the interview.
- Many legends are fictional accounts that people once believed were true.
fictional character
1/fˈɪkʃənəl kˈɛɹɪktɚ/
fixed phrase
an invented person in fiction
A person who is not real but appears in a book, film, game, or other story.
Examples
- Batman is a fictional character who first appeared in comic books.
- The series follows a group of fictional characters living in modern London.
- Teachers sometimes use fictional characters to help children talk about difficult feelings.
fictional universe
1/fˈɪkʃənəl jˈunəvˌɚs/
fixed phrase
a shared invented story cosmos
A big invented world where many connected stories, films, or games all take place.
Examples
- The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a fictional universe that includes dozens of superheroes.
- Writers must follow the rules of the fictional universe when they add new stories.
- The show is set in the same fictional universe as the original movie trilogy.
fictional world
1/fˈɪkʃənəl wˈɚld/
fixed phrase
an invented world for stories
A place or universe that is not real and exists only inside a story, game, film, or other art.
Examples
- The author created a complex fictional world with its own history and languages.
- Fans enjoy spending time in the fictional world of the video game.
- The movie takes viewers into a dark fictional world ruled by robots.