artifact

noun

Definition of artifactnext
1
as in fossil
an object made by humans and surviving from an earlier time period The site was full of Stone Age artifacts such as flint tools.

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2
as in memento
a lingering indication of something from the past The spelling of "trough" is an artifact of the way it was originally pronounced.

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of artifact The commission aimed to create a task force that would prioritize the preservation of important artifacts rather than treat it as a distraction. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 14 July 2026 For years, categories like video games, trading cards and comic books occupied the margins of the auction business, existing alongside more traditional markets for fine art, rare books and historical artifacts. — Daniel Cassady For Artnews, Robb Report, 13 July 2026 The national monument designation provides sweeping protections not just for significant geological features or artifacts but also for the surrounding landscape, banning drilling, mining and new construction nearby. — ABC News, 13 July 2026 Their stories, told through original documents and personal artifacts, help transform historical events into deeply human experiences. — Brian Unger, CBS News, 12 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for artifact
Recent Examples of Synonyms for artifact
  1. fossil
  2. memento
  3. relic
  4. reminder
  5. echo
  6. afterimage
  7. remembrance
  8. remnant
Noun
  • Now, the rancher’s 6,500-acre property in Harding County is writing its own chapter in Hell Creek history, having yielded a fossil near the magnitude of Stan.
    — Jacopo Prisco, CNN Money, 13 July 2026
  • The series will draw on genetic analysis and fossil records across varying regions and environments, combined with photography and animation.
    — K.J. Yossman, Variety, 8 July 2026
Definition of fossil
Noun
  • The makeup artist recently shared some mementos from working with the actress, 51.
    — Angela Andaloro, PEOPLE, 1 July 2026
  • The T-shirts are coveted mementos of the big day, and longtime participants often have collections of T-shirts from races past.
    — AJC.com, AJC.com, 30 June 2026
Definition of memento
Noun
  • But more broadly, as streaming became the dominant way audiences consume entertainment, a shelf full of stuff started to look like a relic of a clumsier time that most folks were happy to forget.
    — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 10 July 2026
  • And, at least for some, veterans organizations like DAV seem like relics from another era.
    — Sonner Kehrt, Sacbee.com, 9 July 2026
Definition of relic
Noun
  • Rearrange a schedule, automate a reminder, or create a small system that keeps bills, tasks, or energy from leaking through the cracks.
    — Tarot.com, Hartford Courant, 18 July 2026
  • Kylie Kelce’s latest vacation outfit is a reminder that some of the best summer looks are also the most basic.
    — Jill Layton, PEOPLE, 18 July 2026
Definition of reminder
Noun
  • Sarandos’ comments echo remarks Head of UCAN Scripted Series Jinny Howe made to Deadline last week.
    — Peter White, Deadline, 16 July 2026
  • But Thomas Tuchel took those echoes and put a colossal microphone in front of them, cranking up the decibels to make this failure worse than the others.
    — Tim Spiers, New York Times, 16 July 2026
Definition of echo
Noun
  • That trailing effect isn’t a smear on its own, but their blades also leave afterimages, duplicate smears, along their path through space.
    — Eric Vilas-Boas, Vulture, 19 Aug. 2025
  • But her teachers at the school left important afterimages.
    — Gia Kourlas, New York Times, 24 Mar. 2025
Definition of afterimage
Noun
  • The highlight of both evenings was the Bon Odori dance of joy and remembrance, with festivalgoers joining the dancers dressed in traditional costume.
    — Jane Tyska, Mercury News, 12 July 2026
  • Caught between two opposing cultures, drawing on a cache of letters, documents, and remembrances, Ferrer meticulously recounts the travails of one migrant family and a punitive legal system that dogged them, skewering ideals of equity and fairness.
    — Hamilton Cain, Time, 7 July 2026
Definition of remembrance
Noun
  • The western part of the state had been ravaged by the remnants of Hurricane Helene, torn apart in a way never imagined by one of the worst natural disasters the area had ever experienced.
    — Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 13 July 2026
  • This leaves the core as a stellar remnant, either a neutron star or a black hole, initially surrounded by an expanding shell of supernova debris.
    — Robert Lea, Space.com, 10 July 2026
Definition of remnant

Browse Nearby Words

articulations
artifact
artifacts
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Cite this Entry

“Artifact.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/artifact. Accessed 21 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on artifact

Nglish: Translation of artifact for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about artifact

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