artificiality

American  

[ahr-tuh-fish-ee-al-i-tee] / ˌɑr təˌfɪʃ iˈæl ɪ ti /

noun

artificialities plural

1. artificial quality.

2. an artificial thing or trait.

   artificialities of speech.

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Usage

What does artificiality mean? Artificiality is the quality of being artificial—made or manufactured as opposed to occurring naturally. Artificial is often used as the opposite of natural. A close synonym of artificial is synthetic. This sense of the word is often used in the context of food to describe things like ingredients, flavors, additives, and preservatives that are chemically processed. Food packaging often specifies whether a product has natural or artificial flavors (or both). An artificial sweetener is a kind of chemical used as a substitute for sugar, such as in diet sodas. Artificial is not only used in the context of food. Artificial turf is a grasslike surface used for sports playing fields. Artificial diamonds are those that are manufactured, as opposed to those that have developed through natural processes in the earth. Artificial flowers are often used as decorations. Artificial intelligence generally refers to the ability of a computer to function in a way that mimics or is likened to the human mind. Sometimes, artificial is used in a more negative way to describe something as fake or imitation, as in Something about this tastes artificial. This sense of the word is sometimes used figuratively to describe something as being faked, phony, or contrived—the opposite of real or genuine, as in an artificial smile. Artificiality can be used in all of these contexts. Example: When designing this material, I tried to avoid any sense of artificiality—I wanted it to feel completely real.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• overartificiality
  noun
• superartificiality
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• artificialities
  plural

Etymology

Origin of artificiality

First recorded in 1755–65; artificial + -ity

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

artificiality artificialities

The artificiality of all this, however, has pitted him against traditionalists who believe in the ocean's ability to self-heal.

From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026

Davis’ driving goal was “to find a song that fits naturally, so there’s no sense of artificiality when they sing it,” he told The Times in 2014.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 22, 2026

And while there is a distinct artificiality to just about every aspect of the film’s structure, that affectation is what makes “Propeller One-Way Night Coach” so special.

From Salon ● Jun. 2, 2026

The concept of a year-round mountain resort took the area into a realm of artificiality that is no longer seen as viable.

From BBC ● May 25, 2026

No matter how much we hobnob, there’s an air of artificiality in this reimagined best-friendship.

From "Odd One Out" by Nic Stone

In all our anxiety over artificialities, we haven’t thought carefully enough about how to distinguish between rank cheating and the murkier world of performance enhancement.

From Washington Post ● Oct. 11, 2022

All of the celebrity tributes and voice-over videos were artificialities, junk, compared to the audience’s acclaim for Serena Williams, the pure roaring waterfalls of applause that thundered down in Arthur Ashe Stadium.

From Washington Post ● Sep. 3, 2022

Basketball, on the other hand, has its own rituals and artificialities and weird rituals, and I will sit through pretty much anything basketball-related.

From Salon ● Dec. 16, 2012

They cannot escape from their overbearing surfaces and artificialities.

From BusinessWeek ● Feb. 27, 2012

It is hard to imagine Tom Smith surrounded by the artificialities of show business, standing in a glitzy showring, loosing horses to run in chaotic sprints, and not think that something precious was being squandered.

From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand