Synonyms of artificial

artificial

adjective

ˌär-tə-ˈfi-shᵊl 

1

as in unnatural

lacking in natural or spontaneous quality

their artificial smiles did not make us feel very welcome

Synonyms & Similar Words

• unnatural
• strained
• mock
• false
• fake
• mechanical
• simulated
• pseudo
• exaggerated
• plastic
• affected
• contrived
• factitious
• phony
• theatrical
• spurious
• forced
• bogus
• assumed
• cute
• feigned
• sham
• hollow
• unreal
• automatic
• put-on
• pretended
• manufactured
• unrealistic
• empty
• formal
• deliberate
• unauthentic
• conventional
• wooden
• stiff
• insincere
• hypocritical
• pat
• canned
• fabricated
• calculated
• conscious
• melodramatic
• hokey
• impersonal
• labored
• unctuous
• rigid
• facile
• stylized
• histrionic
• concocted
• cultivated
• mealy
• mincing
• artful
• inflexible
• overdone
• genteel
• premeditated
• two-faced
• cutesy
• simpering
• studied
• overacted
• left-handed
• mealymouthed
• overrefined
• double-dealing
• goody-goody

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• natural
• real
• genuine
• spontaneous
• unaffected
• realistic
• authentic
• right
• true
• artless
• bona fide
• sincere
• honest
• unforced
• easy
• smooth
• ingenuous
• uncontrived
• unfeigned
• unconscious
• instinctive
• effortless
• impromptu
• extemporaneous
• impulsive
• unpretending
• unstudied
• unrehearsed
• unprompted

2

as in fake

not being or expressing what one appears to be or express

the familiar sight of the award winner accepting the artificial congratulations of the other nominees

Synonyms & Similar Words

• fake
• double
• lip
• strained
• superficial
• meaningless
• unnatural
• hollow
• mechanical
• counterfeit
• insincere
• hypocritical
• phony
• pretended
• false
• unctuous
• feigned
• backhanded
• pious
• phony-baloney
• mealy
• affected
• assumed
• jive
• simulated
• double-faced
• contrived
• empty
• dishonest
• forced
• two-faced
• Janus-faced
• mealymouthed
• left-handed
• double-dealing
• Pecksniffian
• deceitful
• sham
• glib
• put-on
• untruthful
• bogus
• facile
• devious
• claptrap
• sanctimonious
• facetious
• jocular
• tongue-in-cheek
• campy
• pharisaical
• simon-pure
• self-righteous
• canting

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• genuine
• sincere
• artless
• honest
• heartfelt
• candid
• direct
• unfeigned
• plain
• open
• undesigning
• straightforward
• frank
• forthright
• heart-to-heart

3

as in synthetic

being such in appearance only and made with or manufactured from usually cheaper materials

artificial fruit made from wax

Synonyms & Similar Words

• synthetic
• faux
• simulated
• fake
• imitation
• dummy
• false
• imitative
• mock
• manufactured
• ersatz
• mimic
• factitious
• substitute
• bogus
• man-made
• counterfeit
• designer
• pretend
• sham
• process
• deceptive
• cultured
• manipulated
• engineered
• fabricated
• unauthentic
• pseudo
• forged
• misleading
• adulterated
• fraudulent
• concocted
• phony
• doctored
• spurious
• feigned
• fudged
• affected
• juggled
• tampered (with)
• pinchbeck
• brummagem

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• real
• natural
• genuine
• true
• legitimate
• authentic
• bona fide
• valuable
• pure
• quality
• premium
• unadulterated

4

as in nonnatural

produced by humans rather than natural processes

I find that artificial sweeteners often have an odd aftertaste

Synonyms & Similar Words

• synthetic
• nonnatural
• man-made
• processed
• manufactured
• mechanical
• industrial
• refined
• imitation
• fabricated
• cultivated
• faux
• ersatz

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• natural
• raw
• crude

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of artificial

The gap in temperature can feel even more pronounced depending on whether the playing surface is grass or artificial turf. — Christopher Kamrani, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2026

Playing on artificial turf can add more heat to the field, with turf’s surface temperature able to reach well over 130 degrees under hot, sunny conditions, Cox said. — Taylor O'Connor, Kansas City Star, 5 Sep. 2026

Like the focus on artificial dyes, however, many of the administration’s highest-profile health initiatives rely on voluntary agreements. — Stephanie Armour, Miami Herald, 4 Sep. 2026

Satellite imagery of Williston Lake, an artificial reservoir and Canada’s largest body of freshwater, confirmed that the nearly two-and-a-half acre island was real. — Frank Landymore, Futurism, 2 Sep. 2026