artificial

adjective

ˌär-tə-ˈfi-shᵊl How to pronounce artificial (audio)
Definition of artificialnext
1
as in unnatural
lacking in natural or spontaneous quality their artificial smiles did not make us feel very welcome

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in synthetic
being such in appearance only and made with or manufactured from usually cheaper materials artificial fruit made from wax

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in nonnatural
produced by humans rather than natural processes I find that artificial sweeteners often have an odd aftertaste

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 artificial Wall Street drifted to a quiet finish Monday after stocks of chipmakers and other winners of the artificial-intelligence boom trimmed some of their recent losses. — Stan Choe, Los Angeles Times, 20 July 2026 Kittle suffered an Achilles tear in January at Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field, which uses natural grass mixed with artificial grass for Eagles games. — Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 20 July 2026 Though the song is heavily acoustic, its distorted guitar solos hail squarely from the realm of harder rock, and the artificial choirs that seep in toward the end seem to call out to the symphonic citadels of the Norwegian black metallers. — Sam Goldner, Pitchfork, 19 July 2026 Beautiful flowers in an artificial hill would be replaced with a grove of Japanese cypress trees. — Hiroshige Yazawa Japan News, Arkansas Online, 19 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for artificial
Recent Examples of Synonyms for artificial
  1. unnatural
  2. fake
  3. synthetic
  4. strained
  5. double
  6. faux
  7. mock
  8. lip
Adjective
  • This is a standard procedure for unnatural deaths in Jackson County, not necessarily an indication that a crime was committed or is suspected.
    — James Powel, USA Today, 22 July 2026
  • The Victorian era was awash in handwringing about the loss of male vigor (some of which was blamed on the unnatural intellectual pursuits of women).
    — Elizabeth Dray, STAT, 21 July 2026
Definition of unnatural
Adjective
  • Multiple schools are at the center of incidents in which teens are facing legal consequences for generating fake explicit images of their classmates.
    — Avni Trivedi, CNN Money, 21 July 2026
  • Gen Alphas seem to know almost immediately when something is fake, overproduced, delayed or culturally disconnected, which is why the strongest content right now often feels chaotic.
    — Kelly Samuel, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026
Definition of fake
Adjective
  • Friction also causes pilling, particularly on lower-quality synthetic bouclé, leaving small fiber balls on the surface.
    — Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 22 July 2026
  • Each pair features the same 2000s-era mesh base and synthetic overlays seen on previous colorways, but the true highlight of the reintroduced Adrenaline GTS 10 lies within.
    — Riley Jones, Footwear News, 21 July 2026
Definition of synthetic
Adjective
  • Yes, the excuses used to finally get them in the same frame together run the gamut from strained to getthefuckouttahere.
    — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 28 July 2026
  • There is no frantic downshift, no strained exhaust note, and little sensation of mechanical effort.
    — Karl Brauer, Forbes.com, 28 July 2026
Definition of strained
Adjective
  • Ask Italian soccer club AS Roma, which on Wednesday made a double announcement that took the cross-pollination between the two fields to the next level.
    — Sandra Salibian, Footwear News, 29 July 2026
  • Among the highlights is a double-height living room with a fireplace, a seated bar, and floor-to-ceiling glass doors spilling out to an expansive deck sporting a covered entertaining area, plus a pool and spa.
    — Wendy Bowman, Robb Report, 29 July 2026
Definition of double
Adjective
  • The earrings create a faux huggie effect by rounding and curving upward at the bottom.
    — Rachel Raposas, PEOPLE, 20 July 2026
  • Below it, there’s a wide concave base with a drainage hole that’s ideal for faux flowers, real flowers, or decorative rocks.
    — Stephanie Osmanski, Better Homes & Gardens, 19 July 2026
Definition of faux
Adjective
  • The milestone comes after SpaceX has deployed mock satellites on previous tests and paves the way for the company to expand its Starlink network in the future by using Starship to deploy the technology.
    — Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 27 July 2026
  • The social media post opens with Kardashian standing behind a podium at a mock press conference as reporters pepper her with questions about her seemingly endless energy.
    — Angelique Brenes, PEOPLE, 24 July 2026
Definition of mock
Adjective
  • Likewise, lip masks designed to be worn overnight can provide improved hydration and comfort over daytime treatments.
    — Caroline Reilly, Forbes.com, 25 Mar. 2026
  • On the opposite end of the spectrum, Tatianna points to cinnamon as a conductor of heat—one commonly used in lip plumper products to achieve a sultry pout.
    — Essence, Essence, 23 Nov. 2025
Definition of lip

Browse Nearby Words

artifices
artificial
artificiality
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Cite this Entry

“Artificial.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/artificial. Accessed 30 Jul. 2026.

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