fictionalist

F4I1C3T1I1O1N1A1L1I1S1T1

adjective

Of, pertaining to, or supporting fictionalism

OriginEnglish fictional ← Proto-Indo-European *h₂élisder.? ← Middle English ficcioun →
Scrabble 17
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Meanings

adjectivefictionalist (not comparable)
  1. not comparableOf, pertaining to, or supporting fictionalism
nounfictionalist (plural fictionalists)

plural fictionalists

  1. human sciencesOne who subscribes to fictionalism, the belief that certain concepts are simply convenient logical fictions

    Rather than being aimed at those who deny the existence of mathematical objects, the argument’s target is those who deny the objectivity of mathematics—in Putnam’s opinion, intuitionists and fictionalists.

    2007 September 28, David Liggins, “Quine, Putnam, and the ‘Quine–Putnam’ Indispensability Argument”, in Erkenntnis, volume 68, number 1, →DOI
  2. A writer of fiction.

    Well known as a fictionalist, journalist and essayist, his forte lies in the sketches of rural life drawn with warmth, understanding and humour […]

    1992, K. M. George, Modern Indian Literature, an Anthology: Plays and prose (page 311)

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*dʰeyǵʰ-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*dʰinéǵʰti
  3. Proto-Italic*θingō
  4. Proto-Italic*fingō
  5. Latinfingō
  6. Latinfictiō
  7. Old Frenchficcion
  8. Middle Englishficcioun
  9. Englishfiction
  10. Proto-Indo-European*h₂el-
  11. Proto-Indo-European*h₂élisder.?
  12. Englishfictional
  13. Englishfictionalist

From fictional + -ist.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

fictionalist. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fictionalist

MLA

“fictionalist.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fictionalist. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “fictionalist,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fictionalist.

Source: fictionalist on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.