made-up

/ˈmeɪd ʌp/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈmeɪd ʌp/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈmād-ˈəp/ (ame, mw)

made-up — adjective

1. thought up by someone and not based on real events or facts, so it is not true.

1.形容詞B2
釋義

thought up by someone and not based on real events or facts, so it is not true.

例句

Eric told the police a made-up story about losing his keys at the beach.

made-up + noun: a made-up story

The whole excuse was made-up, and Salma's boss saw through it at once.

predicative: be made-up (invented)

同義詞
  • invented

    neutral; can describe useful creations as well as lies

  • fictional

    for characters or worlds in stories, without the dishonest tone

  • fabricated

    more formal; stresses deliberate deception

反義詞
  • true

    matching real events

  • real

    existing in fact, not imagined

文法句型

made-up + noun (story, name, excuse)

用法筆記

Subject is usually something said or written — a story, name, excuse, or figure — never a physical object.

常見錯誤

❌Yasmin gave a made up reason.
✅Yasmin gave a made-up reason.
💡keep the hyphen when used before a noun.

2. having colour and powder put on the face to change or improve how someone looks.

2.形容詞B2
釋義

having colour and powder put on the face to change or improve how someone looks.

例句

Paloma arrived at the party heavily made-up, with bright red lips and dark eyes.

heavily made-up (degree adverb + adjective)

The actors were fully made-up an hour before the play began.

be made-up (predicative, after verb)

同義詞
  • painted

    informal, sometimes critical, for heavy make-up

反義詞

文法句型

be made-up

heavily made-up + noun

用法筆記

Frequently passive or after a linking verb (be/look made-up), and often paired with a degree word such as 'heavily' or 'fully'.

常見錯誤

❌Paloma made-up before the show.
✅Paloma put on her make-up before the show.
💡the adjective describes a state, not the action of applying it.

3. feeling great delight because of a piece of good news or a lucky result.

3.形容詞C1
釋義

feeling great delight because of a piece of good news or a lucky result.

例句

Hari was made-up when his football team finally won the cup.

be made-up when (informal British: very pleased)

Inês passed her driving test on the first try and was absolutely made-up.

absolutely made-up (intensifier + adjective)

同義詞
  • thrilled

    standard English; works in formal and informal contexts

  • delighted

    more neutral and widely understood than the British slang

  • chuffed

    also informal British, similar pleased feeling

反義詞
  • gutted

    informal British for very disappointed

文法句型

be made-up about/that

made-up for + person

用法筆記

Informal British English only; used after a linking verb (be/feel made-up) and never before a noun. Distinguish from sense 1 (false) by context: this sense describes a person's mood, not a story.

常見錯誤

❌It was a made-up day for the team.
✅The team were made-up after the win.
💡this sense describes how a person feels, so it follows a verb and refers to people, not events.