fiction

fiction — noun

1. Imaginative writing about invented characters and happenings, rather than real f

1.nounA2
Definition

Imaginative writing about invented characters and happenings, rather than real facts and people.

Example

Talia reads mostly fiction, especially science fiction and fantasy novels.

uncountable noun + genre specification examples

The library has a large section of fiction for young readers.

Common collocations
  • science fiction
  • historical fiction
  • crime fiction
  • fiction writer
  • fiction section
  • work of fiction
Synonyms
  • novel

    refers specifically to a long fictional book, not the genre

  • story

    broader — can be true or false; fiction always means invented

  • literature

    broader category that includes fiction, poetry, drama, and non-fiction writing

Antonyms
  • non-fiction

    writing about real events and facts

  • fact

    a piece of true information

  • reality

    the actual state of things, not imagined

Grammar Patterns

a work of fiction

fiction about [topic]

fiction + noun (fiction writer, fiction section)

Usage Note

Uncountable when referring to the genre as a whole ('I enjoy fiction'). Countable only in the set phrase 'a work of fiction' or similar expressions.

Common Mistakes

I read a fiction yesterday.
I read a novel / a work of fiction yesterday.
fiction is usually uncountable; use 'novel' or 'a work of fiction' to talk about one book.

2. A story or statement that is invented and not true, often deliberately so.

2.nounB2
Definition

A story or statement that is invented and not true, often deliberately so.

Example

Jabari dismissed the rumour about the factory closing as pure fiction.

collocation: pure fiction

The politician's claim about the budget was a convenient fiction.

collocation: a convenient fiction

Common collocations
  • pure fiction
  • sheer fiction
  • convenient fiction
  • legal fiction
Synonyms
  • fabrication

    stronger — suggests deliberate lying; more formal than fiction

  • invention

    less negative — can mean a created story without implying dishonesty

  • falsehood

    more direct — simply means something untrue

Antonyms
  • truth

    what is real or accurate

  • fact

    a piece of information that can be proven true

Grammar Patterns

pure/sheer fiction

a convenient fiction

it is fiction that + clause

Usage Note

Commonly appears in the fixed phrases 'pure fiction', 'sheer fiction' (to emphasise complete falsehood), and 'a convenient fiction' (a false explanation that avoids trouble).

Common Mistakes

I caught him in fiction.
I caught him in a lie.
fiction as a falsehood refers to an invented story or claim, not to telling a single lie in everyday conversation.
Idioms

truth is stranger than fiction

idiom

This phrase means that real events can be more surprising than made-up stories.

When Maya won the lottery twice, she said truth is stranger than fiction.

Did you hear about the cat that saved its owner? Truth is stranger than fiction.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Fiction is the broadest term — it covers any invented writing, from short stories to epic sagas. A novel is one specific form of fiction: a book-length narrative. Story is more neutral and can be true or invented ('tell me a story' could be either), whereas fiction is always made up. Narrative focuses on the structure of events being told rather than their truth value — a news report has a narrative but is not fiction. Literature is the widest category of all, including poetry, drama, and non-fiction essays. So if you want to borrow something to read for pleasure, ask for 'a novel' or 'a work of fiction'. If you say you enjoy 'literature', you might be handed a book of poetry instead.

fiction ↗novel ↗story ↗narrative ↗literature ↗

Common collocations

Phrases

  • work of fiction
  • piece of fiction

Prepositions

  • fiction about

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchEnglish

From Latin 'fictiō' meaning 'a fashioning, a feigning', derived from 'fingere' (to shape, form, or devise). It passed through Old French 'fiction' before entering Middle English in the 1300s. Originally it meant 'something invented' in a general sense; the specific literary meaning — stories about imaginary people — emerged in the 1500s.