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artificiel

artificial

adjective ar-tee-fee-SYEL Rare
Descriptions & Qualities Quality

Origin: Latin artificialis, from ars (art) + facere (to make)

Also means

synthetic

Usage Note

Artificiel is the masculine form; the feminine is artificielle, with a doubled 'l'. Commonly contrasted with naturel in everyday speech — lumière artificielle (artificial light) vs. lumière naturelle. The word also carries a figurative sense of something forced or insincere, as in un sourire artificiel.

Examples

"Cette fleur est complètement artificielle."

Natural Translation

This flower is completely artificial.

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