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
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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
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Recent Examples of man-made
Most lakes in this area are man-made, according to Spencer.
—
Matthew Cupelli, Cincinnati Enquirer, 19 Mar. 2026
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
At the 2025 Met Gala, Vogue declared that boobs are back—a truth that would resonate throughout the year, as heaving bosoms (both natural and man-made) appeared on red carpets everywhere.
—Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 1 Jan. 2026
Whereas quartz countertops are man-made, granite is a naturally occurring stone, quarried from the earth, then cut and polished into the countertop material so many know and love.
—Hallie Milstein, Southern Living, 28 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for man-made
Matthew Cupelli, Cincinnati Enquirer, 19 Mar. 2026
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
At the 2025 Met Gala, Vogue declared that boobs are back—a truth that would resonate throughout the year, as heaving bosoms (both natural and man-made) appeared on red carpets everywhere.
—Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 1 Jan. 2026
Whereas quartz countertops are man-made, granite is a naturally occurring stone, quarried from the earth, then cut and polished into the countertop material so many know and love.
—Hallie Milstein, Southern Living, 28 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for man-made
Recent Examples of Synonyms for man-made
Adjective
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Earlier this year, Target was one of the first national retailers to raise the wellness bar by banning all cereals made with synthetic dyes and colors from its shelves.—
Pamela N. Danziger,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2026
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Target will also carry a Froot Loops Wild Berry cereal made without certified synthetic colors.—
Michele Laufik,
Martha Stewart,
18 May 2026
Adjective
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Add a touch of color with these artificial flowers or revamp your living room with a fresh area rug.—
Brittany VanDerBill,
Better Homes & Gardens,
23 May 2026
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To make the system more lifelike, the team linked the organoid to an artificial cardiac plexus, a network of nerves located near the base of the heart that helps regulate heartbeat activity.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
23 May 2026
Adjective
-
Garcia, who wrote and directed the movie, has come up with some crisply clever faux-noir dialogue, and part of the joke is that Joe speaks in his hardboiled pensées while everyone else talks like a normal person.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
21 May 2026
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Unlike many faux-jean pants that always look a little off, these still have that classic denim look.—
Caroline Hughes,
Travel + Leisure,
20 May 2026
Adjective
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While in space, Ship is expected to deploy 22 dummy Starlink satellites — a large increase from the eight or 10 simulated payloads on previous flights.—
Tariq Malik,
Space.com,
18 May 2026
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Who or what is this simulated girlfriend experience that has seemingly overridden Nikki, and where is the genuine article?—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
14 May 2026
Adjective
-
Off Campus uses the messy lives of these athletes to explore romance tropes like fake-dating plots, enemies-to-lovers twists, secret relationships, and more.—
CT Jones,
Rolling Stone,
22 May 2026
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The Sentinel story published earlier this month featured both Gavi’s and Bastien’s cases as examples of Florida’s inconsistent approach to dealing with nurses who received degrees from roughly two dozen schools that sold fake nursing degrees to more than 7,000 people over the past several years.—
Annie Martin,
The Orlando Sentinel,
22 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Man-made.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/man-made. Accessed 25 May. 2026.
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