Word
Definitions
01literature
A2 · Elementary Uncountable noun
n. books and stories about imaginary people and events.
n. the genre of literature, typically prose, that describes imaginary events and people.
日本語:フィクション※
“She enjoys reading historical fiction because it makes the past feel alive.”
“The library expanded its fiction section to accommodate the growing popularity of contemporary graphic novels and speculative prose.”
Usage
Uncountable when referring to the genre; countable when referring to a specific work.
Synonyms
Antonyms
02a lie or invention
B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun
n. something that is not true or a story that someone made up to hide the truth.
n. a statement, story, or belief that is false or fabricated, often intended to deceive.
日本語:作り話※
Español:ficción
“His excuse about the car breaking down was a complete fiction.”
“The official report was dismissed as a convenient fiction designed to protect the reputation of the local authorities.”
Synonyms
03legal fiction
C1 · Advanced Countable noun Law Technical · Formal
n. a situation where the law treats something as true even if it is not, to make a rule work.
n. an assertion accepted as true by a court to allow a legal rule to be applied, despite its lack of factual basis.
“The idea that a company is a 'person' is a legal fiction used in court.”
“The court relied on a legal fiction to establish jurisdiction over the offshore accounts, ensuring the defendants could not evade their obligations.”
Usage
Usually appears in the fixed phrase 'legal fiction'.
Synonyms
Collocations
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “fiction” in context.
Etymology
From Middle English ficcioun, from Old French ficcion (“dissimulation, ruse, invention”), from Latin fictiō (“a making, fashioning, a feigning, a rhetorical or legal fiction”), from fingō (“to form, mold, shape, devise, feign”). Displaced native Old English lēasspell (literally “false story”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
NOUN
ADJECTIVE
Related words
Idioms
01. polite fiction
Domains
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.A2 KeyIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.3.0–4.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 2.0–2.524–43TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.225–549
- Frequency
- Common
- Level
- A2 · ElementaryOxford
- Updated
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QR code
englishreference.com/q/fiction
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「日本語」「カタカナ語」 data: JMdict (EDRDG), CC BY-SA 4.0
‘외래어’ data: 한국어기초사전 (국립국어원), CC BY-SA 2.0 KR
Traducciones: Kaikki.org (Wiktionary), CC BY-SA 4.0