inventado
“inventado” means “made up” in Spanish. It has 2 different meanings depending on context:
made up, fake
Also: fictitious, fabricated
📝 In Action
Su coartada era completamente inventada.
B1His alibi was completely made up.
La noticia resultó ser inventada por un periódico sensacionalista.
B2The news turned out to be fake (invented) by a sensationalist newspaper.
No te creas ese rumor; es inventado.
A2Don't believe that rumor; it's fake.
invented
Also: devised
📝 In Action
El científico ha inventado un nuevo motor.
A1The scientist has invented a new engine.
Este aparato fue inventado en el siglo XIX.
B1This device was invented in the 19th century.
Translate to Spanish
✏️ Quick Practice
Quick Quiz: inventado
Question 1 of 1
Which sentence uses 'inventado' as an adjective (meaning 'made up' or 'fake')?
📚 More Resources
👥 Word Family▼
📚 Etymology▼
The word comes from the Latin verb *invenire*, which literally meant 'to come upon' or 'to discover.' Over time, the meaning shifted in Spanish to imply creating something new, rather than just finding something already there.
First recorded: 13th century
Cognates (Related words)
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Frequently Asked Questions
Does 'inventado' change its ending?
Yes, but only sometimes! When it acts like an adjective (meaning 'fake' or when used in the passive voice with 'ser'), it must match the noun (inventada, inventados, inventadas). But when it is used with the verb 'haber' to form perfect tenses ('he inventado'), the ending always stays as '-ado'.
What is the difference between 'inventado' and 'descubierto'?
'Inventado' means creating something entirely new that didn't exist before (like a plastic), while 'descubierto' (discovered) means finding something that already existed but was unknown (like a new continent).