ARTIFICIAL


Meaning of ARTIFICIAL in English

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

Merriam Webster Collegiate English Dictionary.      Merriam Webster - Энциклопедический словарь английского языка.