: a usually simple object (such as a tool or ornament) showing human workmanship or modification as distinguished from a natural object
especially: an object remaining from a particular period
caves containing prehistoric artifacts
b
: something characteristic of or resulting from a particular human institution, period, trend, or individual
… morality is an artifact of human culture, devised to help us negotiate social relations.—Michael Pollan
c
: something or someone arising from or associated with an earlier time especially when regarded as no longer appropriate, relevant, or important
… that over-simplified but eloquent quality that keeps Jefferson alive for us while Washington and Adams, his superiors in so many other respects, are artifacts of a quaint and lost world.—Jack Rakove
2
a
: a product of artificial character (as in a scientific test) due usually to extraneous (such as human) agency
b
: an electrocardiographic and electroencephalographic wave that arises from sources other than the heart or brain
c
: a defect in an image (such as a digital photograph) that appears as a result of the technology and methods used to create and process the image
… can produce a very good picture, but there will be some loss of detail and some color artifacts such as adjacent colors bleeding into each other.—Consumer Reports
One of the things that make humans unique is their ability to make and use tools, and ever since the first rough stone axes began to appear about 700,000 years ago, human cultures have left behind artifacts from which we've tried to draw a picture of their everyday life. The roots of artifact mean basically "something made with skill;" thus, a mere stone that was used for pounding isn't an artifact, since it wasn't shaped by humans for its purpose—unlike a ram's horn that was polished and given a brass mouthpiece and was blown as part of a religious ritual.
Examples of artifact in a Sentence
The caves contained many prehistoric artifacts.
an artifact from the Colonial period
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France's passion for paintings, sculptures, ancient artifacts and other valuables and curios is a source of national pride and identity.—ABC News,
10 Sep. 2026 Commack became the first school district to receive such an artifact when it was sent to the district by the Port Authority nine years later.—
Doug Williams,
CBS News,
10 Sep. 2026 An avid collector of Old Hollywood artifacts, in 2014, Johns acquired a box at auction filled with autographed photographs—including one personally inscribed by Marilyn Monroe—and documents connected to celebrity facialist Madame Renna.—
Lauren Valenti,
InStyle,
9 Sep. 2026 The Niners basically treated their star running back like a precious artifact this offseason, storing him at optimal temperature and humidity, limiting his exposure to light and contaminants.—
Andy Behrens,
New York Times,
9 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for artifact
Word History
Etymology
borrowed from New Latin arte factus "made by human agency," from Latin arte "by skill or craft" (ablative of art-, ars "acquired skill, craftmanship") + factus, past participle of facere "to make, bring about, do" — more at art entry 1, fact
Note:
The usual American spelling artifact—opposed to artefact in the British Isles and elsewhere—shows assimilation to Latin compounds with arti- (see artifice).
: a product of artificial character due to extraneous (as human) agency
specifically: a product or formation in a microscopic preparation of a fixed tissue or cell that is caused by manipulation or reagents and is not indicative of actual structural relationships
2
: an electrocardiographic and electroencephalographic wave that arises from sources other than the heart or brain
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