artifact
Americannoun
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any object made by human beings, especially with a view to subsequent use.
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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.
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any mass-produced, usually inexpensive object reflecting contemporary society or popular culture.
artifacts of the pop rock generation.
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a substance or structure not naturally present in the matter being observed but formed by artificial means, as during preparation of a microscope slide.
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a spurious observation or result arising from preparatory or investigative procedures.
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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.
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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.
verb (used with object)
noun
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An object produced or shaped by human craft, especially a tool, weapon, or ornament of archaeological or historical interest.
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An artificial product or effect observed in a natural system, especially one introduced by the technology used in scientific investigation or by experimental error.
Other Word Forms
- artifactual adjective
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
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"At first we assumed it was a measurement artifact or some kind of interference," recalls Schultheiß.
From Science Daily • Mar. 27, 2026
By including this artifact of his digital process, Gomez acknowledges that the painting’s subject is not reality as experienced on the streets of the city, but a constructed proposition.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 16, 2026
They would have preferred to preserve it as a damaged artifact.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 9, 2026
Over time, the journal becomes more than notes: it’s a map of your palate and a small artifact of your growth in the kitchen.
From Salon • Dec. 20, 2025
Initiates were required to swear an oath upon an emerald said to have been pried from the brow of a fallen angel, and when presented with this artifact, Thyon laughed.
From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
