Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
×

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

See What's Trending Now See More Trending Words

man-made

play
adjective \ ˈman-ˈmād , -ˌmād \

Definition of man-made

:manufactured, created, or constructed by human beings; specifically :synthetic
  • man-made fibers

See man-made defined for English-language learners

See man-made defined for kids

Indulge Your Inner Word Nerd

young-plant-shoots
Merriam-Webster's New Words Quiz—Fall 2017 Edition!
alt-59c2cb9e9ef54
Trending: Ivanka: "An 'Otherwise' Incredible Day"
image1644821030
These Are Fighting Words
video-title-words-of-the-year-1066
Words of the Year: 1066

First Known Use of man-made

1615

man-made Synonyms

Synonyms
artificial, bogus, dummy, ersatz, factitious, fake, false, faux, imitative, man-made, mimic, mock, pretend, sham, simulated, substitute, synthetic
Antonyms
genuine, natural, real
Related Words
cultured, manufactured, process; unauthentic; adulterated, designer, doctored, engineered, fudged, juggled, manipulated, tampered (with); concocted, fabricated; counterfeit, deceptive, forged, fraudulent, misleading, phony (also phoney); affected, brummagem, feigned, pinchbeck, pseudo, spurious
Near Antonyms
authentic, bona fide, legitimate, true; premium, quality, valuable; pure, unadulterated

MAN-MADE Defined for English Language Learners

man-made

play
adjective

Definition of man-made for English Language Learners

  • : made by people rather than by nature

MAN-MADE Defined for Kids

man-made

adjective \ ˈman-ˈmād \

Definition of man-made for Students

:made by people rather than nature
  • a man-made lake

Learn More about man-made

  1. See words that rhyme with man-made Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for man-made Nglish: Translation of man-made for Spanish speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up man-made? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show hide

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

WORD OF THE DAY

shofar

play

a ram's-horn trumpet used in Judaism

Get Word of the Day daily email!

TRENDING NOW

  1. otherwise "in other respects"

  2. federalism Graham says bill gives power to states

  3. bodega "Don’t mess with the beloved bodega."

  4. carceral Of, relating to, or suggesting a jail or prison

  5. allegory No spoilers!

SEE ALL

BROWSE DICTIONARY

man-made

Test Your Vocabulary

Merriam-Webster's New Words Quiz—Fall 2017 Edition!

  • young-plant-shoots
  • Which of the following is a new sense of the word bunny?
Spell It

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

TAKE THE QUIZ
SCRABBLE® Sprint

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

image1644821030
8 Words and Phrases from Boxing and Wrestling

Terms that go beyond the squared circle

alt-59c2960017c94
The Ambiguity of Pushing 'Up' and 'Back'

When you push a meeting, where does it go?

image536372841
Silent Letters

When each letter can be seen but not heard

alt-59c17b8172892
'So Long': A Common But Mysterious Goodbye

Its origins are surprisingly murky.

Ask the Editors

video-title-words-of-the-year-1066
Words of the Year: 1066

Or, Why Pig Meat is Called 'Pork' and Cow Meat is Called 'Beef'

payday
How Often Is 'Biweekly'?

Don't get us started on 'bimonthly'

video-irregardless-grammar-peeve-blend-of-the-synonyms-irrespective-and-regardless
Irregardless

It is in fact a real word (but that doesn't mean you should use it).

video-moose-goose-weird-plurals
Weird Plurals

One goose, two geese. One moose, two... moose. What's up with that?

Word Games

young-plant-shoots
Merriam-Webster's New Words Quiz—Fall 2017 Edition!

You're going to have to memorize the dictionary again.

Take the quiz
stylized-drawing-of-woman-pole-vaulting-across-gap-to-get-trophy
Challenging Vocabulary Quiz Returns!

No tricks, just difficult words.

Take the quiz
Spell It
Spell It

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

Take the quiz
SCRABBLE® Sprint
SCRABBLE® Sprint

SCRABBLE® fans, sharpen your skills!

Play the game