man-made

/ˈmænˌmeɪd//ˌmænˈmeɪd/

adjective

Created or caused by human beings, as opposed to occurring in nature; artificial or synthetic.

Opposite

Meanings

adjectiveman-made (not comparable)

alternative manmade

  1. not comparableCreated or caused by human beings, as opposed to occurring in nature; artificial or synthetic.

    It is, in my belief, an artificial, man-made development in hounds, since it exists only in rudimentary form in other dogs, foxes, and wolves, which are said sometimes to give cry when hunting their game.

    1937, Joseph Brown Thomas, Hounds and hunting through the ages
    2 more examples

    Draw in both man-made and natural obstacles. Anything that may hinder the proposed landing (e.g., cusps, submerged rocks, partially awash or submerged wrecks, scullies, berm scarps, sandbars, rails, etc.) may be considered an obstacle.

    1974, US Navy SEAL Combat Manual

    Consequently, […] the question arises in our mind whether […] there was not also in Islam a controversy over the inlibration, that is, the embookment, of the pre-existing Koran in the revealed Koran and also over the problem of whether the revealed Koran had two natures, a divine and a man-made, or only one nature, a man-made nature.

    1976, Harry Austryn Wolfson, The Philosophy of the Kalam, page 146

    Synonyms: human-made, person-made · Antonyms: nonmanmade

Synonyms & antonyms

adjectiveCreated or caused by human beings, as opposed to occurring in nature; artificial or synthetic.

Opposite

More synonyms by meaning

adjectivenot of natural origin; prepared or made artificially

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

From man (“human”) + made. First attested in 1615. According to the OED, the pronunciation with primary stress on man, /ˈmænˌmeɪd/, is older.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian изкуствен, направен от човек
  • изкуствен (izkustven)created by a human
  • направен от човек (napraven ot čovek)created by a human
Chinese Mandarin 人為的 /人为的, 人造的
  • 人為的 /人为的 (rénwéi de)created by a human
  • 人造的 (rénzào de)created by a human
  • 人工的 (réngōng de)created by a human
Dutch door mensenhanden gemaakt, kunstmatig
  • door mensenhanden gemaaktcreated by a human
  • kunstmatigcreated by a human
Finnish ihmisen tekemä, ihmisten tekemä
  • ihmisen tekemäcreated by a human
  • ihmisten tekemäcreated by a human
  • keinotekoinencreated by a human
French synthétique, de main d'homme
  • synthétiquecreated by a human
  • de main d'hommecreated by a human
German menschengemacht, von Menschen gemacht
  • menschengemachtcreated by a human
  • von Menschen gemachtcreated by a human
Greek ανθρωπογενής
  • ανθρωπογενής (anthropogenís)created by a human
Hebrew מַעֲשֵׂה יְדֵי אָדָם
  • מַעֲשֵׂה יְדֵי אָדָם (ma'asé ydéy adám)created by a human
Hindi पौरुषेय, कृत्रिम
  • पौरुषेय (pauruṣey)created by a human
  • कृत्रिम (kŕtrim)created by a human
  • मानव निर्मित (mānav nirmit)created by a human
Hungarian mesterséges, ember alkotta
  • mesterségescreated by a human
  • ember alkottacreated by a human
Icelandic manngerður, tilbúinn
  • manngerðurcreated by a human
  • tilbúinncreated by a human
Irish saorga, de dhéantús an duine
  • saorgacreated by a human
  • de dhéantús an duinecreated by a human
Japanese 人工
  • 人工 (jinkō)created by a human
Norwegian Bokmål menneskeskapt
  • menneskeskaptcreated by a human
Polish sztuczny, syntetyczny
  • sztucznycreated by a human
  • syntetycznycreated by a human
Portuguese artificial
  • artificialcreated by a human
Romanian artificial
  • artificialcreated by a human
Russian иску́сственный, рукотво́рный
  • иску́сственный (iskússtvennyj)created by a human
  • рукотво́рный (rukotvórnyj)created by a human
Spanish hecho por el hombre
  • hecho por el hombrecreated by a human
Swedish konstgjord
  • konstgjordcreated by a human
Turkish insan mamulü (obsolecent), insan yapımı
  • insan mamulü (obsolecent)created by a human
  • insan yapımıcreated by a human
  • yapaycreated by a human
Cite this entry
APA

man-made. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/man-made

MLA

“man-made.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/man-made. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “man-made,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/man-made.

Source: man-made on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.