man-made

adjective

ˈman-ˈmād 

-ˌmād

: manufactured, created, or constructed by human beings

specifically : synthetic

man-made fibers

Synonyms

• artificial
• bogus
• dummy
• ersatz
• factitious
• fake
• false
• faux
• imitation
• imitative
• mimic
• mock
• pretend
• sham
• simulated
• substitute
• synthetic

Examples of man-made in a Sentence

man-made diamonds that were really just glass

the houses in the new development are built around a man-made lake

Recent Examples on the Web

This was a disastrous night for the Wizards, in an epoch of seemingly never-ending disasters — some man-made (see Webber to Kings, above), others a matter of bad luck. —David Aldridge, New York Times, 13 May 2025

The border is technically man-made: It was drawn on a map by the governments of America and Britain, which controlled Canada until 1867. —Rachel Treisman, NPR, 9 May 2025

Off the coast of Sicily, Italy, a scuba diver scanned the seafloor for anything that looked man-made or generally just interesting. —Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 18 Apr. 2025

Framing your pool with a modern retaining wall will create a contrast between the natural and man-made elements of your yard. —Katherine McLaughlin, Architectural Digest, 18 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1615, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for man-made

• afraid
• allayed
• arcade
• arrayed
• assayed
• barmaid
• betrayed
• blockade
• bridesmaid
• brigade
• brocade
• buffeted

Kids Definition

man-made

adjective

ˈman-ˈmād

: made by people rather than nature

man-made satellites

especially : synthetic entry 1 sense 2

man-made fibers