“Fictional” and “Fictitious”

Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary gives the same definition for both fictional and fictitious:

of, relating to, characterized by, or suggestive of fiction.

“Fiction,” of course, is anything untrue, whether it’s a lie or a novel. Webster’s gives six definitions for fiction, among them:

1 : the act of creating something imaginary : a fabrication of the mind
2 a : an intentional fabrication : a convenient assumption that overlooks known facts in order to achieve an immediate goal b : an unfounded, invented, or deceitful statement
3 a : fictitious literature (as novels, tales, romances) b : a work of fiction; especially : NOVEL

Making a distinction between fictional and fictitious, however, is both useful and customary.

Fictional tends to be used in talking about fiction in the sense of creative writing:

Alice in Wonderland is a fictional character created by the mathematician Charles Dodgson.

Fictitious tends to carry a negative connotation and is used to denote fiction associated with dishonesty:

The man used a fictitious resumé to obtain the job.

We praise Ken Follett for writing a fictional account of the building of a cathedral, but we condemn a journalist who incorporates fictitious elements in a news story.

Maeve on August 25, 2007 Subscribe to our RSS Feed