artificial

adjective

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

5 meanings of artificial

1
man-madeadjective
Made by people instead of happening in nature.
Like plastic fruit in a bowl: it looks real, but no tree ever grew it.
The lake is artificial, dug out by workers fifty years ago.
These flowers look real, but they are artificial.
Similarsynthetic, man-made, manufactured, fake, simulated
Oppositenatural, real, genuine
Note
2
insincereadjective
Fake or forced, not coming from real feeling.
Like a smile someone puts on just for a photo.
Her smile was artificial, and everyone at the table could tell.
He gave an artificial laugh at the boss's joke.
Similarinsincere, forced, fake, false, affected
Oppositesincere, genuine, natural, heartfelt
3
arbitraryadjective
Forced by a rule instead of fitting what a person or case really needs.
Like a one-size shirt that fits no one well.
The test set an artificial limit that ignored how kids really learn.
Their plan used an artificial deadline that no one could actually meet.
Similararbitrary, contrived
Note

Less common meanings

4
species groupingadjective
Grouping living things by easy-to-spot traits, not by how they are truly related.
Like sorting books by cover color instead of by topic.
The guide uses an artificial system that sorts plants by flower color.
Linnaeus used an artificial system that sorted plants by counting their flower parts.
Oppositenatural
Note
5
adjective
Describes a bridge bid with a special agreed meaning, not just showing the suit it names.

Practice

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Origin

It comes from Latin words meaning "skill" and "to make," and an early meaning was "man-made." It came into English through Old French.