adj.
Pronunciation: ˌ är-t ə - ' fi-sh ə l
Function: adjective
Date: 14th century
1 : humanly contrived often on a natural model : MAN-MADE <an artificial limb> < artificial diamonds>
2 a : having existence in legal, economic, or political theory b : caused or produced by a human and especially social or political agency <an artificial price advantage> < artificial barriers of discrimination ― R. C. Weaver>
3 obsolete : ARTFUL , CUNNING
4 a : lacking in natural or spontaneous quality <an artificial smile> <an artificial excitement> b : IMITATION , SHAM < artificial flavor>
5 : based on differential morphological characters not necessarily indicative of natural relationships <an artificial key for plant identification>
– ar · ti · fi · ci · al · i · ty \ ˌ är-t ə - ˌ fi-sh ē - ' a-l ə -t ē \ noun
– ar · ti · fi · cial · ly \ - ' fi-sh ə l- ē \ adverb
– ar · ti · fi · cial · ness \ - ' fi-sh ə l-n ə s \ noun