/ ˌɑːtɪˈfɪʃl; NAmE ˌɑːrt-/ adjective
1.
made or produced to copy sth natural; not real :
an artificial limb / flower / sweetener / fertilizer
artificial lighting / light
2.
created by people; not happening naturally :
A job interview is a very artificial situation.
the artificial barriers of race, class and gender
3.
not what it appears to be
SYN fake :
artificial emotion
► ar·ti·fi·ci·al·ity / ˌɑːtɪˌfɪʃiˈæləti; NAmE ˌɑːrt-/ noun [ U ]
► ar·ti·fi·cial·ly / ˌɑːtɪˈfɪʃəli; NAmE ˌɑːrt-/ adverb :
artificially created lakes
artificially low prices
••
SYNONYMS
artificial
synthetic ♦ false ♦ man-made ♦ fake ♦ imitation
These words all describe things that are not real, or not naturally produced or grown.
artificial
made or produced to copy sth natural; not real:
artificial flowers
•
artificial light
synthetic
made by combining chemical substances rather than being produced naturally by plants or animals:
synthetic drugs
•
shoes with synthetic soles
false
not natural:
false teeth
•
a false beard
man-made
made by people; not natural:
man-made fibres such as nylon
fake
made to look like sth else; not real:
a fake-fur jacket
imitation
[only before noun] made to look like sth else; not real:
She would never wear imitation pearls.
PATTERNS AND COLLOCATIONS :
to be / look artificial / synthetic / false / man-made / fake
artificial / synthetic / man-made fabrics / fibres / materials / products
artificial / synthetic / fake / imitation fur / leather
artificial / synthetic / false / fake / imitation diamonds / pearls
a fake tan
••
WORD ORIGIN
late Middle English : from Old French artificiel or Latin artificialis , from artificium handicraft, based on ars , art- art + facere make.