artificial Hear it!

artificial Definition

ar·ti·fi·cial (ärt′ə fis̸h′əl)

adjective

  1. made by human work or art, not by nature; not natural
  2. made in imitation of or as a substitute for something natural; simulated artificial teeth
  3. unnatural in an affected way an artificial smile
  4. pretended
  5. Biol. designating or of a system of classification based on only a few characteristics, as color

Etymology: ME < OFr < L artificialis < artificium, artifice

artificial Related Forms
ar′·ti·fi′·ci·al′·ity (-fis̸h′ē al′ə tē) noun pl. -·ties ar′·ti·fi′·cially adverb
artificial Synonyms

artificial

modif.

  1. Said of things

    synthetic, unreal, counterfeit, spurious, ersatz, fake, manufactured, man-made, imitation, mock, simulated, substitute, false, sham, fabricated, contrived, unnatural, plastic, pseudo, bogus, fictitious, make-believe, phony*; see also false 3.

    Antonyms natural, genuine*, real.

  2. Said of conduct

    mannered, unnatural, feigned; see affected 2, 3.

artificial is applied to anything made by human work, esp. if in imitation of something natural artificial hair; synthetic is applied to a substance that is produced by chemical synthesis and is used as a substitute for a natural substance which it resembles synthetic dyes; ersatz, which refers to an artificial substitute, always implies an inferior substance ersatz coffee made from chicory; counterfeit and spurious are applied to a careful imitation deliberately intended to deceive counterfeit money, a spurious signature

artificial Usage Examples

Modifying Another Word

  • wholly: Any other option would cause practical difficulties because the boundary between what was and was not regulated would be wholly artificial.
  • somewhat: Then the somewhat artificial scent of Black Forest Gateau emerges strongly, with a dusting of coconut.
  • purely: Doing so enables us to begin to see into the purely artificial nature of the ego.
  • entirely: The distinction that the Regulations seek to draw between primary and secondary processing is entirely artificial.
  • rather: CASE STUDY 2: Project ' mock-up ' testing The DIN testing regime creates a rather artificial environment.
  • totally: We teach a totally artificial way of learning language.

Preposition: in

  • way: But it's not forced or artificial in any way.

Modifies a noun

  • intelligence: The computer will then use its powerful artificial intelligence to guess the answer.
  • insemination: Artificial insemination can be used to place sperm directly in the cervix or uterus.
  • sweetener: In a book where everything else aims for the most natural foods, artificial sweeteners feel like a sore thumb to me.
  • fertilizer: Try to reduce or avoid the use of artificial fertilizers or herbicides.
  • limb: Someone who has lost a leg just below the hip will be 80 % disabled, however well they manage with an artificial limb.
  • respiration: Call for a doctor and continue the artificial respiration until the doctor arrives or the person recovers.

Used with adjective complement

  • seem: Also, perhaps, the change in Sassoon is so sudden that it may seem artificial.
  • feel: It's a far cry from the reality of war, but it feels less artificial.
  • look: Dentures do not have to look artificial, and can contribute to facial beauty.
  • have: Since then all manned spacecraft have had artificial Schumann Wave generators built into them.

Noun used with modifier

  • extent: These are not differences but divisions that ought not to exist because they are to a considerable extent artificial.
  • nothing: There was nothing artificial about Mr Bland's nutrition and hydration.
artificial Quotes

All things are artificial, for nature is the art of God.

—Browne, SirThomas

The aimof everyartist istoarrest motion, which islife, by artificial means and hold it fixed so that a hundred years later, when a stranger looks at it, it moves again since it is life.

—Faulkner,William Harrison