man-made

adjective

ˈman-ˈmād How to pronounce man-made (audio)
Definition of man-madenext
1
as in synthetic
being such in appearance only and made with or manufactured from usually cheaper materials man-made diamonds that were really just glass

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in artificial
produced by humans rather than natural processes the houses in the new development are built around a man-made lake

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 man-made Where to Take a Warm Dip in Iceland Iceland has more than 120 natural and man-made pools, and upwards of 50 hot springs. — Lauren Breedlove, Outside, 3 Mar. 2026 Many of the garnmets appeared too intricate and precise to be man-made, an ode to the artisans all over the world who piece together exquisite Haute Couture creations by pouring thousands of hours into each work. — Luis Giraldo, CBS News, 4 May 2026 Whatever the outcome — sinkhole or man-made — there is an even thornier issue, according to Alyssa Peterson, a longtime community activist who was instrumental in initially organizing the weekly clean-ups. — Kenneth R. Gosselin, Hartford Courant, 28 June 2026 The program was created by Congress to help quickly protect nationals of countries that, as a result of natural or man-made disasters, were dangerous for people to return to, with routine reevaluations to decide if the protections would be extended or ended. — New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 29 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for man-made
Recent Examples of Synonyms for man-made
  1. synthetic
  2. artificial
  3. faux
  4. simulated
  5. fake
Adjective
  • The broader global fiber market is substantially larger at 124 million metric tons annually and is still dominated by synthetic fibers and cotton.
    — Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 7 July 2026
  • Patel steers clear of tight synthetic fabrics, especially underwear, which can set you up for rashes, ingrown hairs, and yeast infections.
    — Angela Haupt, Time, 7 July 2026
Definition of synthetic
Adjective
  • The group was diving in the Golfo Nuevo around the Hu Shun Yu 809 artificial reef.
    — Christine Pelisek, PEOPLE, 7 July 2026
  • Memory chip stocks have seen a massive run-up this year as a supply crunch, fueled by unrelenting artificial demand, allows businesses to set pricing.
    — Samantha Subin, CNBC, 7 July 2026
Definition of artificial
Adjective
  • Guthrie declared ahead of the commercial break, getting up on the couch in faux frustration.
    — Rachel McRady, PEOPLE, 7 July 2026
  • Thrasher and a team of Kansas City wedding vendors staged a faux Swift-Kelce wedding inside Melrose Abbey, a historic Westport church now a wedding and event venue.
    — Lisa Gutierrez July 6, Kansas City Star, 6 July 2026
Definition of faux
Adjective
  • Together, those technologies allow the robot to learn human movements through thousands of simulated training sessions before executing them in dynamic real-world environments.
    — Clemente Lisi, Forbes.com, 6 July 2026
  • The habitat is complete with private crew quarters, a crop cultivation area, an airlock and a sandbox for simulated Mars walks.
    — Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 6 July 2026
Definition of simulated
Adjective
  • Beware of the stalls selling fake leather or souvenirs made in China.
    — Laura Itzkowitz, Travel + Leisure, 8 July 2026
  • Tired of spending his days simply delighting in psychological torture and revenge, Lestat publicly chases the life of a famous rock star, writing and producing an album and performing in a cross-country tour while maintaining a fake vampire persona.
    — CT Jones, Rolling Stone, 7 July 2026
Definition of fake

Browse Nearby Words

manly
man-made
manna
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Man-made.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/man-made. Accessed 9 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on man-made

Nglish: Translation of man-made for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of tacit

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All