Artificiality or deliberate contrivance; an act that is contrived or not natural.
その映画は演出に作為があり、自然な感じがしなかった。
The film felt contrived in its direction and didn't seem natural.
インタビューの答えに作為が感じられた。
I sensed a contrived quality in the interview answers.
広告は作為的な表現が多いので注意して見る必要がある。
Advertisements often use contrived expressions, so you need to watch them carefully.
In law: commission (of an act); the doing of something (as opposed to omission) — a legal concept referring to affirmative acts.
刑法では作為と不作為の区別が重要になる。
In criminal law, the distinction between commission (act) and omission is important.
検察は被告の作為が犯罪成立に当たると主張した。
The prosecution argued that the defendant's actions constituted the commission of a crime.