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 Synthetic, man-made, and natural fibers can all contribute to environmental burdens, depending on how the textiles are processed and treated. — Cleo Levin, Footwear News, 3 Aug. 2026 According to Fauci, 10 of the 12 scientists thought the virus was man-made in a lab. — Steve H. Hanke, Fortune, 29 July 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 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 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
  • Some dental floss manufacturers have been quietly moving away from the synthetic material PTFE, which helped their product slip smoothly between teeth.
    — Margaret Hetherman The Washington Post, Arkansas Online, 19 Oct. 2026
  • The result is a synthetic rhythm section—a voice mimicking a synthesizer that mimics a bass guitar—that precedes a very human chorus from Please, who does not sing so much as plead, several octaves higher.
    — Samuel Hyland, Pitchfork, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of synthetic
Adjective
  • Other parts of government already contract out rocket launches, cloud storage, satellite intelligence and artificial-intelligence analysis to the tech sector.
    — Sarah Scoles, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Stocks in the artificial-intelligence industry bounced back Monday on Wall Street and recovered some of their steep losses from last week, but the rest of the market and stocks worldwide were shaky.
    — Stan Choe, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of artificial
Adjective
  • Her nose was also dotted with the faux freckles that were scattered across the bridge.
    — Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Zebra tablecloths and napkins completed the safari theme, and the walls were decorated with faux magazine covers of Bradfield and his partner, auctioneer William Featherby.
    — Richard Johnson, New York Daily News, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of faux
Adjective
  • Prosecutors say he was beaten, suspended by his hands and feet and subjected to simulated drowning during two days of interrogation.
    — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 15 Oct. 2026
  • After many attempts of trial and error in a simulated environment, MonoRace figured out the best ways to quickly solve navigation problems and then apply that in the real world.
    — Mack DeGeurin, Popular Science, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of simulated
Adjective
  • In episode 4, Noah made up an elaborate ruse involving a fake friend’s wedding in Napa — a means of getting Joanne to wine country for a romantic weekend.
    — Julia Moore, PEOPLE, 22 Oct. 2026
  • The two fans came with their own props even though fake mustaches were given to fans at the entry gates.
    — Armando L. Sanchez, Chicago Tribune, 22 Oct. 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 24 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of puissant

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Oct. 23

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
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
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All