ENGLISH
REFERENCE

fiction

n. uncountable
A2 Elementary Oxford US //ˈfɪkʃən// UK //fˈɪkʃən// fic·tion General-service

n. stories about people and events that are not real. You find it in books, movies, and plays that come from an author's imagination.

n. literature in the form of prose, especially novels, that describes imaginary events and people. Often contrasted with non-fiction or factual reporting.


SIMPLE

I prefer reading fiction because I love imaginary stories.

CONTEXTUAL

The bookstore has a large section dedicated to historical fiction set during the middle ages.

COMPLEX

While the characters are entirely works of fiction, the author draws heavily on her own childhood experiences to create a believable and emotionally resonant setting.

Synonyms
Origin

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”).

Usage

Uncountable when referring to the genre or the concept of imaginary stories; occasionally countable when referring to a specific lie or legal invention.

Pitfall

I read a fiction last night.I read a work of fiction last night.Fiction is uncountable when referring to the literary genre; use 'a work of fiction' or 'a novel' for a single book.

Idioms1 entry

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