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Glite Dictionary
machine-made

machine-made

1 3.1
Made by a machine rather than by hand
  • adjective
  • /məˈʃinˌmeɪd/
translation icon : hecho por máquina
  • It's a given that a handmade item costs more than something factory- or machine-made.
  • machine-made rugs
  • machine-made products
  • machine-made paper

I mean, it's kind of like machine made versus handmade.

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Examples

  • Some old, dusty, machine-made prayer rugs had been scattered here and there.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • Machine-made lace.

    Gosford Park (2001)

  • Most products now sold are machine-made.

    Academic text (2018)

  • We have become accustomed to regarding machine-made products as essentially identical.

    Academic text (2005)

  • Offers various types of gold jewelry. Some are handmade, while others are machine-made.

    Academic text (2018)

  • Inkjet prints look great, are technically incredible, and are machine-made.

    Blog text (15)

  • Machine-made, of course, but quite nice, with a floral tracery fading into the pale light outside.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • Nelson's General Store was just what it claimed to be: a store that sold everything from tonics for rheumatism to the new machine-made britches coming down from the northern factories.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • Many consumers prefer machine-made furniture for its affordability and consistency.

  • The factory produces a wide range of machine-made textiles used in various clothing lines.

Synonyms

mass-produced
vsmachine-made
8 3.8

Made in large numbers in factories rather than by hand

is produced by mechanical equipment but may not be in very large runs
factory-made
vsmachine-made
1 3.1

Made by machines in large numbers rather than by hand

is produced by mechanical equipment regardless of location
made
vsmachine-made
1.0

A thing produced in a factory rather than by hand

is produced specifically by mechanical equipment rather than by hand
manufactured
vsmachine-made
2.1

Made in a factory in large amounts rather than by hand

is produced by mechanical equipment specifically, not about quantity

Antonyms

handmade
255 2.9

An item that a person makes with their hands instead of a machine, often with care

How Manufactured

machine-made
1 3.1
handmade
255 2.9

Surface Forms

machine-made positive

Morphology

machine-made = machine + made (transparent) = machine + made

The compound is a straightforward combination of 'machine' + 'made' meaning produced by a machine, which B1 learners can readily infer.

Etymology

Machine-made is simply the combination of machine (a 'tool' or 'device' that does work) and made (meaning 'built' or 'created'). So a machine-made item is one 'built by a machine' rather than by hand, which helps you remember why these things are often faster and cheaper to produce.