artifact

American  

[ahr-tuh-fakt] / ˈɑr təˌfækt /

especially British, artefact

noun

• artifacts
  plural

1. any object made by human beings, especially with a view to subsequent use.

2. a handmade object, as a tool, or the remains of one, as a shard of pottery, characteristic of an earlier time or cultural stage, especially such an object found at an archaeological excavation.

3. any mass-produced, usually inexpensive object reflecting contemporary society or popular culture.

   artifacts of the pop rock generation.

4. a substance or structure not naturally present in the matter being observed but formed by artificial means, as during preparation of a microscope slide.

5. a spurious observation or result arising from preparatory or investigative procedures.

6. any feature that is not naturally present but is a product of an extrinsic agent, method, or the like.

   statistical artifacts that make the inflation rate seem greater than it is.

7. Digital Technology. a visible or audible anomaly introduced in the processing or transmission of digital data: Ghosting artifacts in an MRI are usually the result of patient movement during a scan.

   Your computer might need a new graphics card if you see green pixels where you should not, or other graphics artifacts.

   Ghosting artifacts in an MRI are usually the result of patient movement during a scan.

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verb (used with object)

1. Digital Technology. to introduce a visible or audible anomaly in (an image or audio file) during the processing or transmission of digital data: The video appears to be heavily artifacted.

   Compression may artifact your recording with clicking or echoing sounds.

   The video appears to be heavily artifacted.

artifact British  

/ ˈɑːtɪˌfækt /

noun

1. a variant spelling of artefact

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artifact Scientific  

/ är′tə-făkt′ /

1. An object produced or shaped by human craft, especially a tool, weapon, or ornament of archaeological or historical interest.

2. An artificial product or effect observed in a natural system, especially one introduced by the technology used in scientific investigation or by experimental error.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• artifactual
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• artifacts
  plural

Etymology

Origin of artifact

First recorded in 1815–25; variant of artefact (a spelling first recorded in 1625–50 ) from Latin phrase arte factum “(something) made with skill.” See art ¹, fact

Explanation

An artifact is a man-made object that has some kind of cultural significance. If you find a 12th-century vase, it's an artifact of that time. Don't drop it! Artifact is a combination of two Latin words, arte, meaning "by skill" and factum which means "to make." Usually when you use the word artifact, you are describing something crafted that was used for a particular purpose during a much earlier time.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

artifact artifacts

But it does show that negative dwell time is not an artifact.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 4, 2026

Penner, the library's curator of African and Near Eastern Manuscripts, said the actors had been excited to see the text, with Holland being "super interested" in the artifact.

From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026

What he found is an American artifact worth preserving.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026

The second artifact was a much smaller piece of willow or poplar wood that also showed evidence of carving and possible use by humans.

From Science Daily ● May 24, 2026

Every artifact was unique, meaning that only one copy of it existed in the entire simulation.

From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline

There, in a white circular space, visitors will see a selection of grave goods, which make up most of the surviving Etruscan artifacts.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 18, 2026

The image was cropped, enhanced to improve contrast, and corrected to remove lens artifacts.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 15, 2026

Drawn to the iridescent glass, Saar lined the artifacts on the fence and encouraged her daughters to keep an eye out, too.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026

America 250 organisers also buried a time capsule to be opened in 200 years, that included a Coca-Cola bottle, signed copy of the Constitution, and artifacts from the 50 states and US territories.

From BBC ● Jul. 5, 2026

It was enough for him to hear the rocking laughter of Pilar in the kitchen to run and take refuge in the laboratory, where the artifacts of alchemy had come alive again with Úrsula's blessing.

From "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Related Words

• amount
• brand
• commodity
• crop
• device
• fruit
• merchandise
• output
• produce
• production
• profit
• stock
• work