Artificially means in a way that is not natural or authentic, created by humans rather than occurring in nature. It typically describes methods, products, or outcomes produced through human intervention, often implying imitation or lack of spontaneity. The term is common in technical, scientific, or critical discourse when distinguishing between genuine and man-made processes or results.
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"The forest was artificially replanted after the fire to accelerate recovery."
"She spoke in an artificially bright tone, masking her true feelings."
"The data was artificially inflated to meet the target numbers."
"Researchers developed an artificially synthesized compound for the experiment."
Artificially derives from the noun artificial, from Latin artificialis, meaning 'made by art,' from ars, artis 'skill, art.' The suffix -ly turns adjectives into adverbs, indicating manner. The Latin root artificialis combined with -alis to form artificialis, later adopted into English as artificial + -ly to mean ‘in an artificial manner.’ The word gained prominence in English in the 15th–16th centuries as science and philosophy raised questions about artificial processes versus natural ones. Over time, artificial expanded beyond crafts to technical contexts—chemistry, biology, engineering, and social critique—often carrying connotations of manipulation, imitation, or engineered outcomes. The sense of “not occurring in nature” strengthened in the Industrial and Digital Ages as distinctions between human-made and natural became central in discourse on technology, medicine, and ethics. First known use in Early Modern English appears in translation and scholarly writings describing human-made methods, with the adverbial form increasingly common in scientific writing by the 18th century and becoming standard in contemporary English.
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Words that rhyme with "artificially"
-lly sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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artificially is pronounced ar-ti-FI-cial-ly with primary stress on the third syllable. IPA (US/UK similarity): /ˌɑːrˈtɪfɪʃəli/ (US) and /ˌɑːtɪˈfɪʃəli/ (UK, both often reduced to /ˌɑːtɪˈfɪʃəli/ in careful speech). Start with the ‘ar’ as in “car,” then a quick “ti” as in “tier,” followed by “fi” with a short i, then “cial” as /ʃəl/ and finish with “ly” /i/. Face relaxation: keep the jaw relaxed, the tongue close to the alveolar ridge for /tɪ/ and drop the jaw slightly for /ʃ/ in /ʃəl/.
Common mistakes: (1) Misplacing stress, saying ar-TI-fi-cial-ly or ar-ti-fi- cial-ly; (2) Vowel quality in the first syllables, pronouncing /ɑr/ as /æ/ or /ɒ/ rather than the longer /ɑː/ or /ˈɑː/; (3) Slurring the /tɪ/ into a single syllable with /fɪ/; (4) Not releasing the final /li/ leading to a clipped ending. Corrections: practice the three-beat rhythm: ar- TIF- i - cial- ly; keep /t/ crisp, ensure /ɪ/ is short but distinct, and finish with a clear /li/ sound by lifting the tip of the tongue for /l/ and then a light /i/.
US typically uses /ˌɑːrˈtɪfɪʃəli/ with a rhotic /r/ in the initial cluster. UK often reduces the initial /ɑː/ and may have less rhoticity depending on region, yielding /ˌɑːtɪˈfɪʃəli/. Australian tends toward /ˌɑːtɪˈfɪʃəli/ with clear non-rhoticity in some dialects but can be rhotic in others depending on speaker. The sequence /tɪfɪ/ remains stable; the /ʃ/ in /ʃəli/ is consistent across accents. Key differences are vowel length and rhoticity. IPA references help: US /ˌɑɹˈtɪfɪʃəli/, UK /ˌɑːtɪˈfɪʃəli/, AU /ˌɑːtɪˈfɪʃəli/.
Difficulties stem from a multisyllabic rhythm and a cluster of vowels in /ˌɑːrˈtɪfɪʃəli/. The /tɪf/ sequence can merge if you’re not careful, and the /ʃə/ in /ʃəli/ requires a smooth /ʃ/ followed by a light /ɪ/ and /li/. The final /li/ can sound like /li/ or be softened to /lɪ/ depending on pace. Also, the initial /ɑr/ and the subsequent /tɪ/ require distinct tongue moves, which makes speed challenging. Practice by isolating each phoneme, then blend while maintaining the correct stress.
What is the valley between the stressed syllables in artificial-ly and how does it affect prosody? The primary stress sits on the third syllable: ar-ti-FI-cial-ly. The pitch should dip slightly after ar-ti and rise into FI, with a smaller rise into -cial-ly depending on emphasis. This creates a natural rhythm: two light syllables before the main stress, then a strong beat on /ˈfɪ/ and a smooth continuation to /li/ and final /i/.
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