See also: ersatz

artificial

(once / 279 pages)

adj

From fake flowers to faux food flavors, our world is full of things that are artificial –- that is, produced by humans rather than by nature.

While artificial can simply mean “made by humans,” it’s often used in a negative sense, conveying the idea that an artificial product is inferior to the real thing. If you remark that your friend’s new hair color looks artificial, for example, you’re not paying her a compliment. Artificial can also describe a behavior or expression that seems insincere — much like the smile on your girlfriend’s face if you bring her artificial flowers instead of real ones.

WORD FAMILY

artificial: artificialest, artificiality, artificially/artificiality: artificialities

USAGE EXAMPLES

"What remains is a reflection on how a child's sincere crying represents us all in an age of excess information, instantaneous emotions and artificial feelings."

BBC(Jul 10, 2014)

The dip was pink, of course, yet also free of artificial food dyes.

Washington Post(Jul 10, 2014)

However, this all does rather depend on everyone agreeing to respect those artificial rights.

Forbes(Jul 09, 2014)

The most noticeable improvement is in artificial intelligence.

New York Times(Jul 08, 2014)

If we have “super artificial intelligence,” the least impressive trick it will be able to do is pay false compliments.

Forbes(Jul 08, 2014)

adjcontrived by art rather than nature

artificial flowers
artificial flavoring
an artificial diamond
artificial fibers
artificial sweeteners

Synonyms:

unreal

lacking in reality or substance or genuineness; not corresponding to acknowledged facts or criteria

painted

lacking substance or vitality as if produced by painting

near

closely resembling the genuine article

man-made, semisynthetic, synthetic

not of natural origin; prepared or made artificially

fake, false, faux, imitation, simulated

not genuine or real; being an imitation of the genuine article

factitious

not produced by natural forces

ersatz, substitute

artificial and inferior

dummy

having the appearance of being real but lacking capacity to function

conventionalised, conventionalized, stylised, stylized

using artistic forms and conventions to create effects; not natural or spontaneous

celluloid, synthetic

artificial as if portrayed in a film

cardboard, unlifelike

without substance

bleached, colored, coloured, dyed

(used of color) artificially produced; not natural

bionic

having particular physiological functions augmented or replaced by electronic or electromechanical components

arranged, staged

deliberately arranged for effect

counterfeit, imitative

not genuine; imitating something superior

Antonyms:

natural

existing in or produced by nature; not artificial or imitation

show more antonyms...

adjnot arising from natural growth or characterized by vital processes

Synonyms

inorganic

lacking the properties characteristic of living organisms

adjartificially formal

that artificial humility that her husband hated

Synonyms:

contrived, hokey, stilted

affected, unnatural

speaking or behaving in an artificial way to make an impression

artificial

[adjective]

1 = synthetic, man-made, manufactured, non-natural, plastic

2 = fake, bogus, counterfeit, imitation, mock, sham, simulated

3 = insincere, affected, contrived, false, feigned, forced, phoney or phony (informal), unnatural

ar·ti·fi·cial

\\ˌär-tə-ˈfi-sh^əl\\ adjective

DATE 14th century

1. humanly contrived often on a natural model : man-made
    an artificial limb
    artificial diamonds
2.
  a. having existence in legal, economic, or political theory
  b. caused or produced by a human and especially social or political agency
      an artificial price advantage
      artificial barriers of discrimination — R. C. Weaver
3. obsolete : artful, cunning
4.
  a. lacking in natural or spontaneous quality
      an artificial smile
      an artificial excitement
  b. imitation, sham
      artificial flavor
5. based on differential morphological characters not necessarily indicative of natural relationships
    an artificial key for plant identification
• ar·ti·fi·ci·al·i·ty

\\ˌär-tə-ˌfi-shē-ˈa-lə-tē\\ noun
• ar·ti·fi·cial·ly

\\-ˈfi-sh^əl-ē\\ adverb
• ar·ti·fi·cial·ness

\\-ˈfi-shəl-nəs\\ noun

artificial

adjective

/ˌɑːtɪˈfɪʃl/

/ˌɑːrtɪˈfɪʃl/

jump to other results

made or produced to copy something natural; not real人工的；人造的；假的
- an artificial limb/flower/sweetener/fertilizer 假肢；假花；人造甜味剂；化肥
- artificial lighting/light人工照明；人造光
Synonyms artificial
artificial
- synthetic
- false
- man-made
- fake
- imitation
These words all describe things that are not real, or not naturally produced or grown.
- artificial made or produced to copy something natural; not real:
  artificial flowers假花
  artificial light人造光
- synthetic made by combining chemical substances rather than being produced naturally by plants or animals:
  synthetic drugs合成药物
  shoes with synthetic soles合成鞋底的鞋
- false not natural:
  false teeth假牙
  a false beard 假胡子
- man-made made by people; not natural:
  man-made fibres such as nylon尼龙之类的人造纤维
- fake made to look like something else; not real:
  a fake-fur jacket一件人造毛皮的短上衣
- imitation [only before noun] made to look like something else; not real:
  She would never wear imitation pearls.她绝不会戴假珍珠。
Patterns
- artificial/synthetic/man-made fabrics/fibres/materials/products
- artificial/synthetic/fake/imitation fur/leather
- artificial/synthetic/false/fake/imitation diamonds/pearls
Extra Examples
- All food served in the restaurant is completely free from any artificial colours and flavours.这家饭店提供的所有食物绝对没有人工色素和人工香料。
- I don't like having to do detailed work in artificial light.我不喜欢在人造光下做细致的工作。
- The patient was kept alive by the artificial heart for nearly two months.人造心脏让那个病人存活了近两个月。
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
verbs
- be
- look
- seem
- …
adverb
- extremely
- fairly
- very
- …
See full entry
created by people; not happening naturally人为的；非自然的
- A job interview is a very artificial situation.求职面试是一个相当不自然的场面。
- the artificial barriers of race, class and gender种族、阶级、性别的人为障碍
Extra Examples
- It would be entirely artificial to try and divorce the two issues.尝试将两个问题离婚是完全人为的。
- They use rather artificial examples.他们使用了相当人为的例子。
- a patently artificial contrivance一个明显的人工产物
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
verbs
- be
- look
- seem
- …
adverb
- extremely
- fairly
- very
- …
See full entry
not what it appears to be虚假的；假装的 synonym fake
- artificial emotion假装的情感
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
verbs
- be
- look
- seem
- …
adverb
- extremely
- fairly
- very
- …
See full entry

Word Originlate Middle English: from Old French artificiel or Latin artificialis, from artificium ‘handicraft’, based on ars, art- ‘art’ + facere ‘make’.

artificial

adjective
1 artificial flowers
SYNTHETIC , fake, false, imitation, mock, simulated, ersatz, substitute; pseudo, sham, bogus, spurious, counterfeit, forged, pretended, so-called, plastic;
MAN-MADE , manufactured, unnatural, fabricated; replica, reproduction, facsimile; informal phoney.
-opposite(s): NATURAL.

2 an artificial smile
FEIGNED ,
INSINCERE , false, affected, mannered, unnatural, stilted, contrived, pretended, put-on, exaggerated, overdone, forced, laboured, strained, hollow, spurious; informal phoney, hammy, ham, campy.
-opposite(s): GENUINE, SINCERE.

AWKWARD SYNONYMS
artificial; synthetic; man-made

Something artificial has not occurred naturally but has been deliberately made by humans; the word is particularly applied to copies or replacements of natural objects, made from some synthetic material such as plastic: a valve failed in the artificial heart. The word is derived from Latin

artificium meaning ‘workmanship’ or ‘making a work of art’. By extension,

artificial is also used of hypocritical displays of emotion: I thought his smile was artificial. An artificial distinction is one that is discredited because it has no basis in reality.
Synthetic materials are produced by humans through chemical processes, rather than grown naturally: synthetic fabrics can imitate everything from silk to rubber. The word is from Greek

synthesis ‘putting together’. There is often a hint that the imitation is inferior to its original: thin cottons, muslins, fine wools—nothing synthetic.
Man-made is a more neutral term. Whereas both

artificial and

synthetic can carry a note of criticism or disapproval, man-made fibres or a man-made lake are presented as created by humans, without any implied comment on the desirability or otherwise of the procedure. Unlike the other two synonyms, it is applied solely to physical objects and materials.

ARTIFICIAL
INDEX
1. not made of natural materials or substances
2. made to look real or natural
• • •
RELATED WORDS
OPPOSITE
⇨ REAL
⇨ NATURAL
something that is intended to deceive people: ⇨ FALSE
see also
⇨ PRETEND
• • •

1. not made of natural materials or substances

■artificial /ˌɑːʳtɪˈfɪʃəl◂, ˌɑːʳtəˈfɪʃəl◂/ adjective usually before noun
  The juice contains no artificial coloring or flavors.
  I usually use artificial sweetener in my coffee instead of sugar.
  The plants can grow just as well in artificial light.
■synthetic /sɪnˈθetɪk/ adjective usually before noun
  ▪ synthetic materials or products are made using chemical processes:
  The rug is made from a mixture of wool and synthetic fibres.
  Many old herbal remedies have disappeared and been replaced by synthetic drugs.
  synthetic rubber
■man-made /ˌmæn ˈmeɪd◂/ adjective
  ▪ made or caused by humans, rather than existing naturally:
  The amusement park is built around a man-made lake.
  The coat is 80% wool and 20% man-made fibers.
  Current weather problems may actually be man-made, a direct result of environmental damage.
■processed /ˈprəʊsestǁˈprɑː-/ adjective only before noun
  ▪ processed food has not been left in its natural state, but has been chemically treated, especially in order to preserve it or make it look more attractive:
  Processed foods may lack the vitamins and minerals found in fresh produce.
  processed cheese
  Fully processed canned hams will not spoil and can be kept on the shelf.

2. made to look real or natural

■artificial /ˌɑːʳtɪˈfɪʃəl◂, ˌɑːʳtəˈfɪʃəl◂/ adjective usually before noun
  ▪ not real or natural, but made to look real or do the job of something real:
  On the table was a vase filled with artificial flowers.
  We have one of those electric heaters with artificial logs.
  It took Frank a while to learn to walk with the artificial leg.
■false /fɔːls/ adjective usually before noun
  ▪ not real - use this about teeth, nails, beards etc:
  Nearly a third of adults in the UK have false teeth.
  She was heavily made up, with false eyelashes and bright red lipstick.
■fake /feɪk/ adjective usually before noun
fake fur/jewellery/antiques etc
made to seem like real fur, jewellery etc, especially in order to make people think it is more valuable than it really is:
  Her coat had a fake fur collar and cuffs.
  You can buy fake Gucci bags all over the city.
■imitation /ˌɪmɪˈteɪʃən◂, ˌɪməˈteɪʃən◂/ adjective usually before noun
  ▪ use this about materials that look like something valuable, but are actually made of something less expensive:
  Ted was wearing an imitation leather jacket.
  The dark blue sweater had imitation pearls sewn across the front.
■simulated /ˈsɪmjɑleɪtɪd, ˈsɪmjɑleɪtəd/ adjective usually before noun
  ▪ not real, but made to look, feel etc like a real thing, situation, or feeling:
  It was one of those horrible simulated-leather ‘executive’ chairs.
  Models of the bridge have been tested under simulated earthquake conditions.

artificial
see
⇨ ARTIFICIAL 1,2
⇨ PRETEND 6

artificial
ar·ti·fi·cial / 7BrtE5fIFEl ; 7B:tE5fIFEl /adjective usually before noun
1. not real or not made of natural things but made to be like something that is real or natural人造的，人工的;ANTnatural; SYNfalse

•artificial flowers假花

•artificial light人造光

•artificial fertilizers化肥

⇒picture atNATURAL¹
2. an artificial situation or quality exists because someone has made it exist, and not because it is really necessary人为的:

•artificial distinctions人为差别

•artificial barriers of gender and race性别和种族的人为障碍

3. artificial behaviour is not sincere – used to show disapproval虚假的，不真挚的，矫揉造作的〔含贬义〕;ANTgenuine

•an artificial smile假笑

—artificially adv:

•Food prices are being kept artificially low.食品价格正被人为地控制在低水平。

—artificiality / 7BrtE7fIFI5AlEtI ; 7B:tEfIFi5AlEti / noun U

artificial
adjective
1
  ×: There are two artificial lakes - one for swimming and one for fishing.
  √: There are two man-made lakes - one for swimming and one for fishing.
  ×: The city has suffered both natural and artificial disasters.
  √: The city has suffered both natural and man-made disasters.
     • • •
artificial = not made of natural materials: 'I still prefer sugar to all those artificial sweeteners.' 'Most people look better under artificial light.'
man-made = made or caused by people, although sometimes having a natural appearance: 'This canal is the longest man-made waterway in the world.' 'It's hard to believe that these enormous caves are actually man-made.'
2
  ×: He managed to lose weight by eating artificial diet foods.
  √: He managed to lose weight by eating synthetic diet foods.
  ×: I am worried about taking artificial products into the body.
  √: I am worried about taking synthetic products into the body.
  ×: I never eat artificial foods.
  √: I never eat synthetic foods/food substitutes.
     • • •
synthetic = not natural but made by a chemical process: 'Many old herbal remedies have been replaced by synthetic drugs.'

artificial ★★☆☆☆

1.ADJ 形容词人造的；非自然形成的 Artificial objects, materials, or processes do not occur naturally and are created by human beings, for example using science or technology.

...a wholefood diet free from artificial additives, colours and flavours...
不含人工添加剂、色素和香料的天然食品
The city is dotted with small lakes, natural and artificial...
这个城市小型湖泊星罗棋布，有天然的也有人工的。
He did not want his life to be prolonged by artificial means.
他不想靠人为方式延长生命。

artificially

...artificially sweetened lemonade.
添加人造甜味剂的柠檬水
...drugs which artificially reduce heart rate.
可以人为降低心率的药物

2.ADJ-GRADED 能被表示程度的副词或介词词组修饰的形容词人造的；不自然的；假的 An artificial state or situation exists only because someone has created it, and therefore often seems unnatural or unnecessary.

【搭配模式】：usu ADJ n

Even in the artificial environment of an office, our body rhythms continue to affect us...
即使是在办公室这样的非自然环境中，我们的人体生物钟依然影响着我们。
Removed from the artificial atmosphere of the fashion show, high-fashion clothes often look cheap and silly.
脱离了时装表演营造的氛围，非常时尚的时装看上去常常显得既廉价又可笑。

artificiality

...another example of the capriciousness and artificiality of our adversarial system of justice.
关于对抗制审判方式的多变性和虚假性的又一个例子

artificially

...state subsidies that have kept retail prices artificially low.
人为地把零售价格限制在低水平的国家补贴

3.ADJ-GRADED 能被表示程度的副词或介词词组修饰的形容词假装的；虚伪的；矫揉造作的 If you describe someone or their behaviour as artificial, you disapprove of them because they pretend to have attitudes and feelings which they do not really have.

【语用信息】：disapproval

The voice was patronizing and affected, the accent artificial.
声音拿腔拿调的，听上去矫揉造作。

artificiality

...the novel's use of homosexuality to suggest the artificiality of all relationships in that nervous city.
小说通过对同性恋的描写向读者暗示了在那个浮躁的城市里人际往来的虚情假意

4.ADJ-GRADED 能被表示程度的副词或介词词组修饰的形容词（味道、外观）不自然的，不真实的，添加非天然成分的 If you say that food tastes or looks artificial, you do not like it because its taste or appearance does not seem genuine, and seems to be created by added substances.

The meat was chewy and the sauce was glutinous and tasted artificial.
肉嚼不烂，酱汁黏稠，味道也不自然。
...complaints that their tinned peas were an artificial shade of green.
对他们的听装豌豆添加人工合成绿色素的投诉

artificial★★☆☆☆

1[ADJ 形容词] 人造的；非自然形成的；Artificial objects, materials, or processes do not occur naturally and are created by human beings, for example using science or technology.

//...a wholefood diet free from artificial additives, colours and flavours...
不含人工添加剂、色素和香料的天然食品
The city is dotted with small lakes, natural and artificial...
这个城市小型湖泊星罗棋布，有天然的也有人工的。
He did not want his life to be prolonged by artificial means.
他不想靠人为方式延长生命。

artificially

//...artificially sweetened lemonade.
添加人造甜味剂的柠檬水
//...drugs which artificially reduce heart rate.
可以人为降低心率的药物

2[ADJ-GRADED 能被表示程度的副词或介词词组修饰的形容词] 人造的；不自然的；假的；An artificial state or situation exists only because someone has created it, and therefore often seems unnatural or unnecessary. [usu ADJ n]

Even in the artificial environment of an office, our body rhythms continue to affect us...
即使是在办公室这样的非自然环境中，我们的人体生物钟依然影响着我们。
Removed from the artificial atmosphere of the fashion show, high-fashion clothes often look cheap and silly.
脱离了时装表演营造的氛围，非常时尚的时装看上去常常显得既廉价又可笑。

artificiality

//...another example of the capriciousness and artificiality of our adversarial system of justice.
关于对抗制审判方式的多变性和虚假性的又一个例子

artificially

//...state subsidies that have kept retail prices artificially low.
人为地把零售价格限制在低水平的国家补贴

3[ADJ-GRADED 能被表示程度的副词或介词词组修饰的形容词] 假装的；虚伪的；矫揉造作的；If you describe someone or their behaviour as artificial, you disapprove of them because they pretend to have attitudes and feelings which they do not really have. [disapproval]

The voice was patronizing and affected, the accent artificial.
声音拿腔拿调的，听上去矫揉造作。

artificiality

//...the novel's use of homosexuality to suggest the artificiality of all relationships in that nervous city.
小说通过对同性恋的描写向读者暗示了在那个浮躁的城市里人际往来的虚情假意

4[ADJ-GRADED 能被表示程度的副词或介词词组修饰的形容词] 味道、外观不自然的，不真实的，添加非天然成分的；If you say that food tastes or looks artificial, you do not like it because its taste or appearance does not seem genuine, and seems to be created by added substances.

The meat was chewy and the sauce was glutinous and tasted artificial.
肉嚼不烂，酱汁黏稠，味道也不自然。
//...complaints that their tinned peas were an artificial shade of green.
对他们的听装豌豆添加人工合成绿色素的投诉

Oxford Collocations dictionary for students of English

artificial
adj.

VERBS be, look, seem

ADV. highly, very | completely, entirely, totally | increasingly | a little, quite, rather, slightly, somewhat | patently a patently artificial contrivance

artificialartificialadj.[搭配]VERBSbe, look, seem
人造的；人工的；看起来是人造的；好像是假的[搭配]ADV.highly, very
十分不自然；很假 completely, entirely, totally
完全是人为的；全部是人造的 increasingly
越来越矫揉造作 a little, quite, rather, slightly, somewhat
有些矫揉造作；相当不自然；有些不自然 patently
显然是人造的:a patently artificial contrivance 一个明显的人工产物

人造的

人工的

从以下词典查找：

历史：

artificial