DictionaryAI

artificial

adjective
ar-tuh-FISH-uhl/ˌɑː(ɹ).təˈfɪʃ.əl/UKah-tuh-FISH-uhl/ˌɑː(ɹ).təˈfɪʃ.əl/

5 meanings of artificial

Practice

  1. 1
    man-madeadjective
    Made by humans rather than occurring naturally; produced through human craft or artifice.

    The stadium uses an artificial turf that needs no watering.

    Chemists developed an artificial sweetener to replace sugar in the recipe.

    Similarsynthetic, man-made, manufactured, fake, simulated

    Oppositenatural, real, genuine

    Note

    When it names a stand-in for something natural, such as an artificial kidney or artificial flowers, it often implies that the copy falls short. The Economist (2013) said dialysis machines are "nothing like as efficient" as real kidneys.

    Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

    • The Economist published the cited article in 2013. pharm.ucsf.edu
    • The Economist described dialysis machines as 'nothing like as efficient' as real kidneys. en.wiktionary.org
  2. 2
    insincereadjective
    Insincere; put on or forced rather than genuine in feeling or expression.

    The politician's warmth felt artificial to the seasoned reporters covering him.

    She thanked them in an artificial tone that fooled no one.

    Similarinsincere, forced, fake, false, affected

    Oppositesincere, genuine, natural, heartfelt

  3. 3
    arbitraryadjective
    Imposed arbitrarily, without regard for the specific facts or normal circumstances of a person or situation.

    Critics called the spending cap an artificial barrier disconnected from real needs.

    The contest's artificial rules favored speed over the skill it claimed to test.

    Similararbitrary, contrived

    Note

    Scholars use this sense when they think a line has been drawn in the wrong place. Examples include an artificial distinction between leadership and management, and an artificial division between the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Calling one artificial is an accusation that the categories were laid over the material rather than found in it.

Less common meanings

  1. 4
    species groupingadjective
    Of a classification, grouping organisms by selected, easily observed features rather than by their natural relationships.

    Field guides often rely on an artificial arrangement that groups species by superficial traits.

    The botanist warned that an artificial grouping can place unrelated plants side by side.

    Oppositenatural

    Note

    Taxonomists use this term, most often of keys and arrangements. An artificial key sorts specimens by whatever features are easiest to check, so the reader can name what is in hand. Rudolf Schuster's The Hepaticae and Anthocerotae of North America (1966) describes such keys as "devised purely to facilitate determination." Unlike the "arbitrarily imposed" meaning, it carries no criticism: the arrangement is a tool, not a mistake.

    Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 3 facts

    • Rudolf Schuster wrote The Hepaticae and Anthocerotae of North America. archive.org
    • The first volume was published in 1966. archive.org
    • Schuster describes artificial keys using the quoted wording. en.wiktionary.org
  2. 5
    adjective
    Of a bid or call in bridge: conveying an agreed conventional meaning rather than its natural meaning, such as length in the suit named.

Practice

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Origin

From Middle English artificial ("man-made"), borrowed via Old French from Latin artificiālis, based on artificium ("skill"), from artifex, formed from ars ("skill") and facere ("to make"). It displaced the native Old English word cræftlīċ.

Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 9 facts