Meaning & use
artificial flowers
Last updated
Meanings
nounplural
flowers made from plastic, silk, paper, or other material, used for decoration instead of real ones.
Grammar: Always plural when you mean more than one; for a single item say 'an artificial flower'.
Patterns
- a bunch of artificial flowers
- artificial flowers in a vase
- decorate something with artificial flowers
She put a bunch of artificial flowers on the table because real ones make her sneeze.
The hotel lobby was decorated with large artificial flowers that looked almost real.
Artificial flowers are cheaper than fresh ones and they last much longer.
nouncountable
a single flower of this kind.
Grammar: Use 'an artificial flower' or 'artificial flowers' in the plural; it is a countable noun.
Patterns
- an artificial flower
- make artificial flowers
- wear an artificial flower
He wore a small artificial flower on his jacket.
The children made artificial flowers from colored paper in art class.
Word forms
| singular | artificial flower |
|---|
Common combinations
- a bunch of artificial flowers
- I bought a bunch of artificial flowers for the waiting room.
- artificial flowers in a vase
- The artificial flowers in a vase on the shelf never need water.
- decorate with artificial flowers
- They decorated the hall with artificial flowers for the party.
- silk artificial flowers
- These silk artificial flowers look softer than plastic ones.
Synonyms and how they differ
- fake flowers
- More informal and often slightly disapproving; use it when you want to emphasize that they are not real.
- silk flowers
- Refers specifically to artificial flowers made of silk or a silk-like fabric, often of better quality.
- imitation flowers
- A more formal way to say the same thing; common in product descriptions.
Opposites
Word family
- artificial adjective
- made by people rather than existing in nature.
- artificially adverb
- in a way that is not natural; by human effort.
Commonly confused: artificial flowers or fake flowers?
artificial flowers vs fake flowers
Both mean the same, but 'fake' sounds more negative and informal; 'artificial' is neutral and common in shops and labels.
Practice
We need some ______ for the office reception desk because no one has time to water plants.
Choose one answer.
'Some' takes a plural noun, so 'artificial flowers' is correct. 'Artificial flower' is singular and would need 'a' or 'an', and the other two options are not grammatical.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “artificial flowers”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.