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artificial

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ar⋅ti⋅fi⋅cial

  [ahr-tuh-fish-uhl]
Use artificial in a Sentence
–adjective
1. made by human skill; produced by humans (opposed to natural ): artificial flowers.
2. imitation; simulated; sham: artificial vanilla flavoring.
3. lacking naturalness or spontaneity; forced; contrived; feigned: an artificial smile.
4. full of affectation; affected; stilted: artificial manners; artificial speech.
5. made without regard to the particular needs of a situation, person, etc.; imposed arbitrarily; unnatural: artificial rules for dormitory residents.
6. Biology. based on arbitrary, superficial characteristics rather than natural, organic relationships: an artificial system of classification.
7. Jewelry. manufactured to resemble a natural gem, in chemical composition or appearance. Compare assembled, imitation (def. 11), synthetic (def. 6).
Origin:
1350–1400; ME < L artificiālis contrived by art; see artifice, -al 1

Related forms:
ar⋅ti⋅fi⋅cial⋅ly, adverb
ar⋅ti⋅fi⋅cial⋅ness, noun

Synonyms:
1. synthetic. 2, 3. counterfeit, factitious. 4. pretentious.

Antonyms:
2. genuine, real.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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ar·ti·fi·cial   (är'tə-fĭsh'əl)   
adj.  

    1. Made by humans; produced rather than natural.

    2. Brought about or caused by sociopolitical or other human-generated forces or influences: set up artificial barriers against women and minorities; an artificial economic boom.

  2. Made in imitation of something natural; simulated: artificial teeth.

  3. Not genuine or natural: an artificial smile.


[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin artificiālis, belonging to art, from artificium, craftsmanship; see artifice.]
ar'ti·fi'ci·al'i·ty (-fĭsh'ē-āl'ĭ-tē) n., ar'ti·fi'cial·ly adv.
Synonyms: These adjectives refer to what is made by humans rather than natural in origin. Artificial is broadest in meaning and connotation: an artificial sweetener; artificial flowers.
Synthetic often implies the use of a chemical process to produce a substance that will look or function like the original, often with certain advantages: synthetic rubber; a synthetic fabric.
An ersatz product is a transparently inferior imitation: ersatz coffee; ersatz mink.
Simulated often refers to a fabricated substitute or imitation of a costlier substance: simulated diamonds.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: ar·ti·fi·cial
Function: adjective
1 a : made by humans <artificial accessions> —compare NATURAL b : caused or produced by a human and esp. social or political agency artificial price advantage>
2 : arising through operation of law —ar·ti·fi·cial·ly adverb
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: ar·ti·fi·cial
Pronunciation: "ärt-&-'fish-&l
Function: adjective
1 : humanly contrived often on anatural model artificial limb> artificial eye> artificial heart>
2 : based on differential morphological characters notnecessarily indicative of natural relationships artificial key for identification of a group of organisms> —ar·ti·fi·cial·ly /-'fish-(&-)lE/ adverb
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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