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Definition of artificial adjective from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

artificial

adjective
 
/ˌɑːtɪˈfɪʃl/
 
/ˌɑːrtɪˈfɪʃl/
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  1. made or produced to copy something natural; not real
    • an artificial limb/flower/sweetener/fertilizer
    • artificial lighting/light
    Synonyms artificialartificialsynthetic false man-made fake imitationThese 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
    • artificial light
    synthetic made by combining chemical substances rather than being produced naturally by plants or animals:
    • synthetic drugs
    • shoes with synthetic soles
    false not natural:
    • false teeth
    • a false beard
    man-made made by people; not natural:
    • man-made fibres such as nylon
    fake made to look like something else; not real:
    • a fake-fur jacket
    imitation [only before noun] made to look like something else; not real:
    • She would never wear imitation pearls.
    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.
    • I don't like having to do detailed work in artificial light.
    • The patient was kept alive by the artificial heart for nearly two months.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs
    • be
    • look
    • seem
    adverb
    • extremely
    • fairly
    • very
    See full entry
  2. created by people; not happening naturally
    • A job interview is a very artificial situation.
    • the artificial barriers of race, class and gender
    Extra Examples
    • It would be entirely artificial to try and divorce the two issues.
    • They use rather artificial examples.
    • a patently artificial contrivance
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs
    • be
    • look
    • seem
    adverb
    • extremely
    • fairly
    • very
    See full entry
  3. not what it appears to be synonym fake
    • artificial emotion
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs
    • be
    • look
    • seem
    adverb
    • extremely
    • fairly
    • very
    See full entry
  4. Word Originlate Middle English: from Old French artificiel or Latin artificialis, from artificium ‘handicraft’, based on ars, art- ‘art’ + facere ‘make’.
See artificial in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee artificial in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English
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adjective
 
 
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