Intentional or contrived; describes something deliberately arranged or artificial rather than natural.
彼のコメントは作為的で、真意が読みづらい。
His comments are contrived, making his true intentions hard to read.
その記事は作為的に編集されていて偏りがある。
That article was edited in a contrived way and is biased.
作為的な演出が視聴者の反感を買った。
The contrived staging drew the audience's resentment.