artfulnessn.

1670 W. Marshall Answers upon Several Heads Philos. vi. 72 The Artfullness of the Instruments, and diligence of the Observers that, from several marks in several Stars, have noted this their circumvolution, I love and honour.

1699 S. Whately Epist. Philaris 78 The Artfulness of the Composure appeared Admirable.

1715 G. Cheyne Philos. Princ. Relig. (ed. 2) i. 235 Consider with how much artfulness his bulk and situation is contrived.

1799 W. Godwin St. Leon III. viii. 197 The defence of the purest innocence is often difficult..against the artfulness of a malicious tale.

1827 Times 8 Sept. 3/2 On her way by St. Luke's Hospital, she had the artfulness to persuade a street fruiteress to take care of the child for a few minutes while she should be going a message.

1873 W. Black Princess of Thule ii. 26 Other people don't see the artfulness with which he reaches some little result.

1932 Jrnl. Philos. 29 26 His writing is..delightfully free from self-consciousness and unrealistic artfulness.

1968 S. Heaney in Listener 22 Aug. 245/1 He and his generation had rejected irony and artfulness, and were trying to write poems that would not yield much to the suave investigations of the practical criticism seminar.

2004 Wall St. Jrnl. 17 Dec. (Central ed.) w4/4 You can't even call his acting minimalist, since that would suggest artfulness.