fictive
fictive Lexical Profile
fictive Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Created by the imagination rather than existing in objective reality; fictional or hypothetical.
"The novel blurs the line between historical biography and fictive narrative."
Designating social relationships, especially kinship ties, that are treated as real by custom or law despite not being based on biological descent or marriage (in anthropology and sociology).
"Godparenthood is a classic example of fictive kinship that strengthens community bonds across households."
Relating to or having the capacity for imaginative creation.
"Critics praised the playwright's extraordinary fictive power in bringing an entire bygone era to life on stage."
Word Nuance & Usage
While 'fictional' and 'fictitious' are used in everyday contexts to mean 'unreal' or 'fabricated', 'fictive' is primarily used in academic, literary, and anthropological contexts, such as 'fictive kinship' (social ties not based on blood or marriage) or 'fictive motion' in linguistics.
• Rhymes for fictive
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the early 17th century from French fictif, from Medieval Latin fictivus, which derives from Latin fictus, the past participle of fingere ('to shape, fashion, or feign').