English Explanatory Dictionary

artificial

English dictionary entry

Meanings

adj
  1. Man-made; made by humans; of artifice.
  2. Insincere; fake, forced, or feigned.
  3. Not natural or normal: imposed arbitrarily or without regard to the specifics or normal circumstances of a person, a situation, etc.
  4. Based on characteristics useful for identification, without regard for the formal differences used in classification.
  5. Conveying some meaning other than the actual contents of one's hand.

Pronunciation

/ˌɑː.tɪˈfɪʃ.l̩/ [ˌɑːtɪˈfɪʃl] ätəfĭsh'əl /ˌɑːr.təˈfɪʃ.l̩/ ärtəfĭsh'əl En-us-artificial.ogg

Word forms

artificial more artificial most artificial

Etymology

From Middle English artificial (“man-made”) via Old French (modern French artificiel), from Latin artificiālis from artificium (“skill”), from artifex, from ars (“skill”), and -fex, from facere (“to make”). Displaced native Old English cræftlīċ.

Synonyms

artificious factitious conventional

Antonyms

antonym(s) of natural

Related words

artifact artifice artificer fake

Derived words

artificial abortion artificial anus artificial art artificial bee colony artificial consciousness artificial dumbness artificial element artificial florist artificial general intelligence artificial horizon artificial ice artificial idiocy artificial immune system artificial incompetence artificial insemination artificial inseminator artificial intelligence artificialism artificialist artificiality artificialization artificialize artificial kidney artificial language artificial life artificially artificialness artificial person artificial respiration artificial rice artificial scarcity artificial script artificial selection artificial stupidity artificial superintelligence artificial sweetener artificial tear artificial tear drop artificial turf artificial unintelligence artilect bioartificial inartificial nonartificial overartificial semiartificial unartificial
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