Factish
adj, noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 A scientific "fact" whose power is believed in, but which is ultimately a construction, just as fetishes are constructions believed to hold spiritual powers.
"Factishes fit well the emergent and networked vision of the world, because they stress the historical quality with which every acting entity is endowed with."
- 1 Similar to facts, but not necessarily factual; fact-like.
"This factish, leftish derivation of the old dictum, “Art is art precisely in that it is not Nature,” by wrongly interpreting the word Nature, utterly betrayed the master's poetic sense."
- 2 Focused on fact rather than reason or speculation.
"There is no doubt a strong tendency to revolt against abstract reasoning. Human nature has a strong “factish” element in it."
Example
More examples"This factish, leftish derivation of the old dictum, “Art is art precisely in that it is not Nature,” by wrongly interpreting the word Nature, utterly betrayed the master's poetic sense."
Etymology
From fact + -ish.
Blend of fact + fetish, coined by Bruno Latour.
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.