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Glite Dictionary
artificial additive

artificial additive

4.3
A substance added to food to improve taste, appearance, or shelf life
  • noun
  • /ˌɑːrtɪˈfɪʃəl ˈædɪtɪv/
translation icon : aditivo artificial
  • The label clearly states that this product is free from artificial additives and is made with all-natural ingredients.

Examples

  • Some people may be sensitive to certain artificial additives found in soft drinks.

  • Is this product free from artificial additives?

  • Many processed foods contain artificial additives to improve their color and shelf life.

  • She prefers to buy products that are free from artificial additives.

  • Many snacks contain artificial additives that can be harmful.

  • Many health-conscious consumers avoid products that contain artificial additives due to concerns about their safety.

  • Some people believe that artificial additives in food can lead to health issues, so they prefer organic options.

Synonyms

food additive
vsartificial additive
  • Specialized
5 3.2

A substance added to food to make it taste better, look better, or stay good longer

is restricted to substances not naturally present in things you eat

Antonyms

natural
∞ 1.0

Not made or changed by people, coming from nature like sunlight

Surface Forms

artificial additive singular
artificial additives plural

Morphology

artificial + additive

The meaning is directly and compositionally derived from 'artificial' (man-made or not natural) + 'additive' (a substance added), so a learner who knows both words can infer it denotes a man-made substance added to food. This is a common, literal noun-noun combination found across languages and follows straightforward English compounding patterns, making it immediately comprehensible to B1 learners.

Etymology

Artificial additive comes from a simple picture of someone pouring a man-made ingredient into food: artificial means made by people and additive is something you 'add'. That's why an artificial additive is 'a man-made substance added to food to change its taste or look, or to help it stay fresh'.