Artfulness — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

Related Entry: Artful (adjective)

Artful is a different word from Artfulness. The synonyms below are for artful, not for artfulness.

1. clever at attaining one's ends by indirect and often deceptive means

   "the artful lawyer got the witness to admit he had been lying"

   similar: beguiling, cagey, crafty, cunning, cute, designing, devious, dodgy (chiefly British), foxy, guileful, scheming, shrewd, slick, sly, subtle, tricky, wily
   related: astute, facile, glib, sharp, crooked, deceitful, deceptive, dishonest, fraudulent, insinuating, knavish, Machiavellian, oblique, serpentine, shady, shifty, slippery, sneaky, treacherous, underhand, underhanded, unscrupulous, backhanded, double-dealing, hypocritical, insincere, left-handed, mealy, mealymouthed, smooth-tongued, two-faced, circuitous, circular, roundabout, clandestine, concealed, covert, furtive, hugger-mugger, secret, stealthy, surreptitious, undercover, calculating, plotting
   opposite: artless, guileless, ingenuous, innocent, undesigning
   near: obvious, open, patent, plain, public, unconcealed, aboveboard, candid, direct, forthright, frank, honest, natural, outspoken, plainspoken, real, simple, sincere, straightforward, unaffected, unpretending, unpretentious, unvarnished, childlike, impressionable, simpleminded, unsophisticated, unworldly, unforced, unstudied, trustful, trusting

2. showing a noteworthy use of the imagination and creativity especially in inventing

   "that kitchen gadget is an artful tool for extracting cherry pits"

   similar: clever, creative, imaginative, ingenious, innovative, inventive
   related: adventurous, fresh, groundbreaking, novel, original, visionary, cleverish, gadgety, gimmicky, convenient, handy, neat, nifty, practical, useful, complex, sophisticated, adroit, deft, dexterous, expert, handsome, tricky, brainy, intelligent, sharp, smart
   opposite: uncreative, unimaginative
   near: dull, pedantic, pedestrian, stodgy, assembly-line, canned, cookie-cutter, derivative, hackneyed, unoriginal, impractical, useless

3. accomplished with trained ability

   "that was an artful way to handle a very delicate situation"

   similar: adroit, bravura, deft, delicate, dexterous, expert, masterful, masterly, practiced, skillful, virtuoso, workmanlike
   related: facile, smooth, artistic, creative, fancy, ingenious, neat, adept, clever, cunning, able, adequate, capable, competent
   opposite: amateur, amateurish, artless, rude, unprofessional, unskillful
   near: awkward, clumsy, crude, klutzy, ineffective, ineffectual, incompetent, inept