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A word I never saw before, but useful enough I wonder why not. From latest Smithsonian
magazine, in a review of a series of books: "The books are set on a fictive island....."
I like it. Do you?
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old hand
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old hand
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> "The books are set on a fictive island....."
I like it. Do you?
About as much as I like toothache. What in the name of all that's holy is wrong with fictional?
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De gustibus, and all that. I know several others, but none of them seem to me to fit as well.
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I guess I would have used 'a ficticious island'. Would that be incorrect, wrong, ill-advised, etc.???
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But "fictitious" has unfortunate connnotation of meaning an attempt to deceive.
"Imaginary" would be closer.
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I suppose that ficticious does hint of deception. Similarly, to me, 'imaginary' hints of a far-fetched, daydream sort of isle......maybe that's what the author was getting at however.
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Once upon a time, in a galaxy far, far away......
"Fictive" seems to do a better job of inviting you to participate in the make-believe.
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old hand
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Again, I ask, and would appreciate the courtesy of an answer, what is wrong with "fictional"?
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Dear sjm: I did not intend to be rude, and regret having seemed so. "Fictional"
is a perfectly good word, but it just seemed to me that a new word offered a
bit more class. My dictionary has "fictive" so it's not just a new coinage.
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>My dictionary has "fictive" so it's not just a new coinage.
Indeed not, apparently. Merriam-Webster dates it 1612, while fictional is dated 14th C, so the two are very close in age and meaning.
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