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 /tfl, tfl/ [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 /snetk/ [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Many old herbal remedies have disappeared and been replaced by synthetic drugs.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 /mn med/ [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 /prsest pr-/ [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 /tfl, tfl/ [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 /fls/ [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 /fek/ [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 /mten, mten/ [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 /smjletd, smjletd/ [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.