Artificial

/ˌɑːrtɪˈfɪʃəl/

adjectiveBeginner🔥Very CommonDescriptive
1 meaning2 questions

Definitions

1

Not natural or genuine; made by human beings.

/ˌɑːrtɪˈfɪʃəl/

adjectiveneutralBeginner
Descriptive

Made or produced by human beings rather than occurring naturally.

The flowers were artificial.

💡 Simply: Fake or man-made.

More Examples

2

The flavor was unnaturally artificial.

How It's Used

Science

"Artificial intelligence is rapidly advancing."

Food

"Artificial sweeteners are often used in diet drinks."

From Middle French artificiel, from Latin artificialis, from ars 'art, skill' + -fic-, combining form of facere 'to make, do'. The word has evolved from its original meaning related to skillful craftsmanship to encompass the modern sense of being made or produced by human beings rather than occurring naturally.

Historically, the term was more closely linked to the skillful creation of objects, emphasizing human ingenuity.

Memory tip

Think 'art' + 'ficial' - made with skill, but not naturally.

Word Origin

LanguageLatin
Original meaning

"ars (art, skill) + -fic (making)"

artificial intelligenceartificial flavorartificial sweetenerartificial light

Common misspellings

artificalartifficialartificail

Usage

60%Spoken
40%Written