artifice

noun

ar·ti·fice ˈär-tə-fəs How to pronounce artifice (audio)

: clever or artful skill : ingenuity

… believing that characters had to be created from within rather than with artifice.

Garson Kanin

: an ingenious device or expedient

: an artful stratagem : trick

… revising the state's constitution through a series of legal stratagems and artifices …

W. Haywood Burns

: false or insincere behavior

social artifice

Did you know?

The Difference Between Art and Artifice

Do great actors display artifice or art? Sometimes a bit of both. Artifice stresses creative skill or intelligence, but it also implies a sense of falseness and trickery. Art generally rises above such falseness, suggesting instead an unanalyzable creative force. Actors may rely on some of each, but the personae they display in their roles are usually artificial creations. Therein lies a lexical connection between art and artifice. Artifice derives from artificium, Latin for "artifice." That root also gave English artificial. Artificium, in turn, developed from ars, the Latin root underlying the word art (and related terms such as artist and artisan).

Example Sentences

He spoke without artifice or pretense. The whole story was just an artifice to win our sympathy.

Recent Examples on the Web No artifice, no affectation, just an authentic, beautiful and unending source of generosity and love.

Rachel Desantis, Peoplemag, 9 Aug. 2022 Can intimacy also emerge from the wreckage of power, beyond doll babies and playacting, beyond the reliance on self-conscious artifice?

Naomi Fry, The New Yorker, 8 Aug. 2022 Secrecy and money helped Mr. Fielder pull off the magic trick that is his new reality-style series, which blurs sincerity and artifice to a disarming effect.

Ellen Gamerman, WSJ, 6 Aug. 2022 Her heavy makeup only emphasizes that no amount of artifice can improve upon the dismal facts.

Robin Givhan, Washington Post, 14 June 2022 Despite the massive amounts of artifice featured throughout the production, this is true.

Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 13 July 2022 The first act is more or less traditional, though with a glowing frame around the action as a subtle reminder of theatrical artifice.

New York Times, 6 July 2022 Specifically, machine learning, data science, and shared global intelligence can help identify and stem the artifice and deception.

Armen Najarian, Fortune, 17 May 2022 The occasion for all this artifice is a relatively rare (for Hanks) display of onscreen villainy.

Justin Changfilm Critic, Los Angeles Times, 27 June 2022 See More

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Anglo-French & Middle French, "trade, craft, craftsmanship, contrivance," borrowed from Latin artificium "artistry, craftsmanship, craft, craftiness, cunning," from artific-, artifex "practitioner of an art, specialist, craftsman, creator" (from art-, ars "acquired skill, craftsmanship" + -fic-, -fex, agentive derivative of facere "to make, bring about, do") + -ium, denominal or deverbal suffix of function or state — more at art entry 1, fact

First Known Use

1540, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

artifice

noun

as in ruse

a clever often underhanded means to achieve an end used the artifice of saying his grandmother had died so that he could get the last seat on the plane

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

ruse
scheme
trick
device
stratagem
gambit
flimflam
ploy
deception
knack
dodge
sleight
jig
gimmick
wile
bluff
subterfuge
trickery
fakery
juggle
fetch
duplicity
cunning
chicanery
shenanigan
sleight of hand
jugglery
play
feint
hoax
cozenage
swindling
skulduggery
cheating
legerdemain
swindle
fraud
skullduggery
end run
crookery
sham
dupery
craft
blind
gaff
smoke screen
front

as in cunning

skill in achieving one's ends through indirect, subtle, or underhanded means using their artifice, the Greeks crafted a hollow wooden horse to hide inside and thereby gained entry into the city of Troy

Synonyms & Similar Words

cunning
artfulness
subtlety
guile
slyness
deviousness
slickness
canniness
caginess
craft
sneakiness
craftiness
subtleness
wiliness
cunningness
ease
calculation
cleverness
cageyness
foxiness
inventiveness
design
ingenuity
care
shrewdness
guilefulness
ingeniousness
duplicity
finesse
savvy
shiftiness
facility
underhandedness
sharpness
deceitfulness

as in skill

subtle or imaginative ability in inventing, devising, or executing something a painting that could only have been created with the artifice of a master

Synonyms & Similar Words

skill
skillfulness
art
artfulness
artistry
cunning
adeptness
adroitness
cleverness
creativity
deftness
proficiency
ease
masterfulness
talent
finesse
expertise
knack
craft
experience
ingenuity
inventiveness
aptitude
dexterity
learning
flair
expertness
gift
knowledge
handiness
know-how
bent

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

artlessness
ineptitude
ineptness
awkwardness
amateurishness
clumsiness
crudeness
incapacity
inefficiency
incompetence
maladroitness
rudeness
inability
ineffectiveness
ineffectuality
inadequacy
inefficacy
incapability
ineffectualness
klutziness
inadequateness

as in deception

the inclination or practice of misleading others through lies or trickery a crook who is a master of artifice and manipulation

Synonyms & Similar Words

deception
deceit
deceptiveness
fraud
cunning
cheating
deceitfulness
fakery
duplicity
dissimulation
lying
dishonesty
guile
dissembling
cozenage
secrecy
subterfuge
trickery
craftiness
crookedness
craft
artfulness
wiliness
double-dealing
crookery
cunningness
chicanery
fraudulence
dupery
prevarication
jugglery
insincerity
equivocation
mendacity
foxiness
hypocrisy
swindling
skulduggery
legerdemain
shrewdness
falsehood
skullduggery
deviousness
obliquity
guilefulness
untruth
falsity
fib
chicane
wile
caginess
furtiveness
underhandedness
sanctimoniousness
slyness
covertness
slickness
shiftiness
sneakiness
slipperiness
unscrupulousness
shadiness
two-facedness
smoothness
mountebankery
treacherousness
stealthiness
cageyness
hanky-panky
oiliness

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

sincerity
artlessness
ingenuousness
guilelessness
frankness
candor
directness
openness
forthrightness
plainness
honesty
candidness
solidity
probity
reliability
integrity
trustworthiness
truthfulness
goodness
dependability
good faith
decency
righteousness
plainspokenness
virtuousness
uprightness
incorruptibility
reliableness
trustability
trustiness

as in subterfuge

the use of clever underhanded actions to achieve an end he's willing to resort to artifice to get himself out of this jam

Synonyms & Similar Words

deception
subterfuge
trickery
artfulness
treachery
deceptiveness
chicanery
jugglery
gamesmanship
secrecy
deceit
skulduggery
cunning
legerdemain
stealth
skullduggery
cunning
scheming
chicane
jiggery-pokery
wile
duplicity
plotting
fakery
deceitfulness
insincerity
dissimulation
shrewdness
hypocrisy
slyness
slickness
deviousness
slipperiness
imposture
shiftiness
hanky-panky
dishonesty
guile
underhandedness
sneakiness
design
humbuggery
craftiness
quackery
crookedness
wiliness
caginess
oiliness
shadiness
cageyness
double-dealing
crookery
dupery
sharpness
dirty pool
foxiness
dirty tricks
guilefulness

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

sincerity
artlessness
ingenuousness
guilelessness
forthrightness
directness
candor
openness
plainness
candidness
plainspokenness

Synonym Chooser

Some common synonyms of artifice are feint, maneuver, ruse, stratagem, trick, and wile. While all these words mean "an indirect means to gain an end," artifice implies ingenious contrivance or invention.

the clever artifices of the stage

While in some cases nearly identical to artifice, feint implies a diversion or distraction of attention away from one's real intent.

a feint toward the enemy's left flank

While the synonyms maneuver and artifice are close in meaning, maneuver suggests adroit and skillful avoidance of difficulty.

last-minute maneuvers to avert bankruptcy

The synonyms ruse and artifice are sometimes interchangeable, but ruse stresses an attempt to mislead by a false impression.

the ruses of smugglers

The words stratagem and artifice are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, stratagem implies a ruse used to entrap, outwit, circumvent, or surprise an opponent or enemy.

the stratagem-filled game

The meanings of trick and artifice largely overlap; however, trick may imply deception, roguishness, illusion, and either an evil or harmless end.

the tricks of the trade

The words wile and artifice can be used in similar contexts, but wile suggests an attempt to entrap or deceive with false allurements.

used all of his wiles to ingratiate himself

单词	artifice
释义	artifice noun ar·ti·fice ˈär-tə-fəs 1 a : clever or artful skill : ingenuity … believing that characters had to be created from within rather than with artifice. Garson Kanin b : an ingenious device or expedient 2 a : an artful stratagem : trick … revising the state's constitution through a series of legal stratagems and artifices … W. Haywood Burns b : false or insincere behavior social artifice Did you know? The Difference Between Art and Artifice Do great actors display artifice or art? Sometimes a bit of both. Artifice stresses creative skill or intelligence, but it also implies a sense of falseness and trickery. Art generally rises above such falseness, suggesting instead an unanalyzable creative force. Actors may rely on some of each, but the personae they display in their roles are usually artificial creations. Therein lies a lexical connection between art and artifice. Artifice derives from artificium, Latin for "artifice." That root also gave English artificial. Artificium, in turn, developed from ars, the Latin root underlying the word art (and related terms such as artist and artisan). Synonyms device dodge fetch flimflam gambit gimmick jig juggle knack play ploy ruse scheme shenanigan sleight stratagem trick wile See all Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences He spoke without artifice or pretense. The whole story was just an artifice to win our sympathy. Recent Examples on the Web No artifice, no affectation, just an authentic, beautiful and unending source of generosity and love. Rachel Desantis, Peoplemag, 9 Aug. 2022 Can intimacy also emerge from the wreckage of power, beyond doll babies and playacting, beyond the reliance on self-conscious artifice? Naomi Fry, The New Yorker, 8 Aug. 2022 Secrecy and money helped Mr. Fielder pull off the magic trick that is his new reality-style series, which blurs sincerity and artifice to a disarming effect. Ellen Gamerman, WSJ, 6 Aug. 2022 Her heavy makeup only emphasizes that no amount of artifice can improve upon the dismal facts. Robin Givhan, Washington Post, 14 June 2022 Despite the massive amounts of artifice featured throughout the production, this is true. Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 13 July 2022 The first act is more or less traditional, though with a glowing frame around the action as a subtle reminder of theatrical artifice. New York Times, 6 July 2022 Specifically, machine learning, data science, and shared global intelligence can help identify and stem the artifice and deception. Armen Najarian, Fortune, 17 May 2022 The occasion for all this artifice is a relatively rare (for Hanks) display of onscreen villainy. Justin Changfilm Critic, Los Angeles Times, 27 June 2022 See More Word History Etymology borrowed from Anglo-French & Middle French, "trade, craft, craftsmanship, contrivance," borrowed from Latin artificium "artistry, craftsmanship, craft, craftiness, cunning," from artific-, artifex "practitioner of an art, specialist, craftsman, creator" (from art-, ars "acquired skill, craftsmanship" + -fic-, -fex, agentive derivative of facere "to make, bring about, do") + -ium, denominal or deverbal suffix of function or state — more at art entry 1, fact First Known Use 1540, in the meaning defined at sense 1a Kids Definition artifice noun ar·ti·fice ˈär-tə-fəs : a clever trick or device She used every artifice to avoid work. Legal Definition artifice noun ar·ti·fice ˈär-tə-fəs : a clever strategy usually intended to deceive or defraud artifice noun 1 as in ruse a clever often underhanded means to achieve an end used the artifice of saying his grandmother had died so that he could get the last seat on the plane Synonyms & Similar Words Relevance ruse scheme trick device stratagem gambit flimflam ploy deception knack dodge sleight jig gimmick wile bluff subterfuge trickery fakery juggle fetch duplicity cunning chicanery shenanigan sleight of hand jugglery play feint hoax cozenage swindling skulduggery cheating legerdemain swindle fraud skullduggery end run crookery sham dupery craft blind gaff smoke screen front 2 as in cunning skill in achieving one's ends through indirect, subtle, or underhanded means using their artifice, the Greeks crafted a hollow wooden horse to hide inside and thereby gained entry into the city of Troy Synonyms & Similar Words cunning artfulness subtlety guile slyness deviousness slickness canniness caginess craft sneakiness craftiness subtleness wiliness cunningness ease calculation cleverness cageyness foxiness inventiveness design ingenuity care shrewdness guilefulness ingeniousness duplicity finesse savvy shiftiness facility underhandedness sharpness deceitfulness 3 as in skill subtle or imaginative ability in inventing, devising, or executing something a painting that could only have been created with the artifice of a master Synonyms & Similar Words skill skillfulness art artfulness artistry cunning adeptness adroitness cleverness creativity deftness proficiency ease masterfulness talent finesse expertise knack craft experience ingenuity inventiveness aptitude dexterity learning flair expertness gift knowledge handiness know-how bent Antonyms & Near Antonyms artlessness ineptitude ineptness awkwardness amateurishness clumsiness crudeness incapacity inefficiency incompetence maladroitness rudeness inability ineffectiveness ineffectuality inadequacy inefficacy incapability ineffectualness klutziness inadequateness See More 4 as in deception the inclination or practice of misleading others through lies or trickery a crook who is a master of artifice and manipulation Synonyms & Similar Words deception deceit deceptiveness fraud cunning cheating deceitfulness fakery duplicity dissimulation lying dishonesty guile dissembling cozenage secrecy subterfuge trickery craftiness crookedness craft artfulness wiliness double-dealing crookery cunningness chicanery fraudulence dupery prevarication jugglery insincerity equivocation mendacity foxiness hypocrisy swindling skulduggery legerdemain shrewdness falsehood skullduggery deviousness obliquity guilefulness untruth falsity fib chicane wile caginess furtiveness underhandedness sanctimoniousness slyness covertness slickness shiftiness sneakiness slipperiness unscrupulousness shadiness two-facedness smoothness mountebankery treacherousness stealthiness cageyness hanky-panky oiliness Antonyms & Near Antonyms sincerity artlessness ingenuousness guilelessness frankness candor directness openness forthrightness plainness honesty candidness solidity probity reliability integrity trustworthiness truthfulness goodness dependability good faith decency righteousness plainspokenness virtuousness uprightness incorruptibility reliableness trustability trustiness See More 5 as in subterfuge the use of clever underhanded actions to achieve an end he's willing to resort to artifice to get himself out of this jam Synonyms & Similar Words deception subterfuge trickery artfulness treachery deceptiveness chicanery jugglery gamesmanship secrecy deceit skulduggery cunning legerdemain stealth skullduggery cunning scheming chicane jiggery-pokery wile duplicity plotting fakery deceitfulness insincerity dissimulation shrewdness hypocrisy slyness slickness deviousness slipperiness imposture shiftiness hanky-panky dishonesty guile underhandedness sneakiness design humbuggery craftiness quackery crookedness wiliness caginess oiliness shadiness cageyness double-dealing crookery dupery sharpness dirty pool foxiness dirty tricks guilefulness Antonyms & Near Antonyms sincerity artlessness ingenuousness guilelessness forthrightness directness candor openness plainness candidness plainspokenness See More Synonym Chooser Some common synonyms of artifice are feint, maneuver, ruse, stratagem, trick, and wile. While all these words mean "an indirect means to gain an end," artifice implies ingenious contrivance or invention. the clever artifices of the stage While in some cases nearly identical to artifice, feint implies a diversion or distraction of attention away from one's real intent. a feint toward the enemy's left flank While the synonyms maneuver and artifice are close in meaning, maneuver suggests adroit and skillful avoidance of difficulty. last-minute maneuvers to avert bankruptcy The synonyms ruse and artifice are sometimes interchangeable, but ruse stresses an attempt to mislead by a false impression. the ruses of smugglers The words stratagem and artifice are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, stratagem implies a ruse used to entrap, outwit, circumvent, or surprise an opponent or enemy. the stratagem-filled game The meanings of trick and artifice largely overlap; however, trick may imply deception, roguishness, illusion, and either an evil or harmless end. the tricks of the trade The words wile and artifice can be used in similar contexts, but wile suggests an attempt to entrap or deceive with false allurements. used all of his wiles to ingratiate himself
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artifice

noun

Did you know?

Synonyms

Example Sentences

Word History

Kids Definition

noun

Legal Definition

noun

noun

Synonym Chooser