Meaning & use

artifact

noun·Academic

An object made or shaped by humans, especially one of historical or cultural interest.

See it in a sentence

Archaeologists uncovered pottery artifacts buried beneath the ruins of the ancient city.

The museum displays artifacts recovered from a shipwreck off the coast.

A note on using this word

In technology and science, 'artifact' also means an unwanted distortion or error introduced during processing.

Words with a similar meaning

relic

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Another way to use it

2. noun

An unwanted flaw or distortion introduced by a process, such as in an image or recording.

The compression left visible artifacts in the darker areas of the photograph.

Make it your own

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