Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
1911, from fictional + -ize. Related: Fictionalized; fictionalizing. Earlier was fictionize (1822).
Wiktionary
vb. 1 To retell something real as if it were fiction, especially by fabricate falsehoods 2 To convert something into a novel or other dramatic work
WordNet
v. make into fiction; "The writer fictionalized the lives of his parents in his latest novel" [syn: fictionalise, retell]
convert into the form or the style of a novel; "The author novelized the historical event" [syn: novelize, novelise, fictionalise]
Usage examples of "fictionalize".
Even though she was largely fictionalizing their relationship—inventing anecdotes, intimacies and confidences never shared—the act nonetheless thawed Mary Andrea's heart.
No amount of fictionalizing could encompass the horror that was in that alley.
They are lacking in worldly context, although I have tried my best to supply it without fictionalizing it.