Main Entry: ar·ti·fi·cial

Pronunciation: \ˌär-tə-ˈfi-sh^əl\

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 \ˌär-tə-ˌfi-shē-ˈa-lə-tē\ noun

— ar·ti·fi·cial·ly \-ˈfi-sh^əl-ē\ adverb

— ar·ti·fi·cial·ness \-ˈfi-shəl-nəs\ noun