Artifice — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

noun /ˈär-tə-fəs/ ar·ti·fice

Meaning & Definition of Artifice

Artifice (noun)

  1. clever or artful skill, ingenuity
  2. an ingenious device or expedient
  3. an artful stratagem, trick

Artifice (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. 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"

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

  2. 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"

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

  3. subtle or imaginative ability in inventing, devising, or executing something

    "a painting that could only have been created with the artifice of a master"

    similar: adeptness, adroitness, art, artfulness, artistry, cleverness, craft, cunning, deftness, masterfulness, skill, skillfulness
    related: dexterity, ease, finesse, handiness, experience, expertise, expertness, know-how, proficiency, creativity, ingenuity, inventiveness, knowledge, learning, aptitude, bent, flair, gift, knack, talent
    opposite: artlessness, ineptitude, ineptness, maladroitness
    near: amateurishness, awkwardness, clumsiness, crudeness, klutziness, rudeness, inability, inadequacy, inadequateness, incapability, incapacity, incompetence, ineffectiveness, ineffectuality, ineffectualness, inefficacy, inefficiency

  4. the inclination or practice of misleading others through lies or trickery

    "a crook who is a master of artifice and manipulation"

    similar: cheating, cozenage, craft, craftiness, crookedness, crookery, cunning, cunningness, deceit, deceitfulness, deception, deceptiveness, dishonesty, dissembling, dissimulation, double-dealing, dupery, duplicity, fakery, foxiness, fraud, guile, guilefulness, wiliness
    related: equivocation, lying, mendacity, prevarication, chicane, chicanery, fraudulence, hanky-panky, jugglery, legerdemain, mountebankery, obliquity, skulduggery, subterfuge, swindling, trickery, wile, falsehood, falsity, fib, untruth, hypocrisy, insincerity, sanctimoniousness, two-facedness, artfulness, caginess, deviousness, shrewdness, treacherousness, underhandedness, unscrupulousness, covertness, furtiveness, secrecy, shadiness, sneakiness, stealthiness, oiliness, shiftiness, slickness, slipperiness, slyness, smoothness
    opposite: artlessness, forthrightness, good faith, guilelessness, ingenuousness, sincerity
    near: candidness, candor, directness, frankness, openness, plainness, plainspokenness, honesty, probity, dependability, reliability, reliableness, solidity, trustability, trustiness, trustworthiness, decency, goodness, incorruptibility, integrity, righteousness, truthfulness, uprightness, virtuousness

  5. the use of clever underhanded actions to achieve an end

    "he's willing to resort to artifice to get himself out of this jam"

    similar: chicane, chicanery, gamesmanship, hanky-panky, jiggery-pokery, jugglery, legerdemain, skulduggery, subterfuge, trickery, wile
    related: artfulness, caginess, craftiness, cunning, deviousness, foxiness, oiliness, shadiness, sharpness, shiftiness, shrewdness, slickness, slipperiness, slyness, sneakiness, treachery, underhandedness, wiliness, crookedness, crookery, deceit, deceitfulness, deception, deceptiveness, dishonesty, dissimulation, double-dealing, dupery, duplicity, guile, guilefulness, hypocrisy, insincerity, fakery, humbuggery, imposture, quackery, dirty pool, dirty tricks, design, plotting, scheming, secrecy, stealth
    near: artlessness, forthrightness, guilelessness, ingenuousness, sincerity, candidness, candor, directness, openness, plainness, plainspokenness

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Artifice

The most common words with a similar meaning to Artifice:

device, dodge, fetch, flimflam, gambit, gimmick, jig, juggle, knack, play, ploy, ruse, scheme, shenanigan, sleight, stratagem, trick, wile, artfulness, caginess, canniness, craft, craftiness, cunning, cunningness, deviousness, foxiness, guile, guilefulness, slickness, slyness, sneakiness, subtleness, subtlety, wiliness, adeptness, adroitness, art, artistry, cleverness

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Artifice

Words with the opposite meaning of Artifice:

artlessness, ineptitude, ineptness, maladroitness, forthrightness, good faith, guilelessness, ingenuousness, sincerity

Related Words for Artifice

bluff, end run, feint, swindling, gaff, hoax, sham, swindle, blind, front, smoke screen, calculation, care, design, savvy, sharpness, shrewdness, ingeniousness, ingenuity, inventiveness, ease, facility, finesse, shiftiness, underhandedness, dexterity, handiness, experience, expertise, expertness

Near Antonyms of Artifice

amateurishness, awkwardness, clumsiness, crudeness, klutziness, rudeness, inability, inadequacy, inadequateness, incapability, incapacity, incompetence, ineffectiveness, ineffectuality, ineffectualness, inefficacy, inefficiency, candidness, candor, directness, frankness, openness, plainness, plainspokenness, honesty, probity, dependability, reliability, reliableness, solidity

Origin & Etymology of Artifice

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 art:1, fact

First known use: 1540

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Artifice

Frequently Asked Questions about Artifice

What does "Artifice" mean?

"Artifice" means clever or artful skill, ingenuity. As a noun, it is defined as: clever or artful skill, ingenuity. It has 5 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Artifice"?

Other words for "Artifice" include device, dodge, fetch, flimflam, gambit, gimmick, jig and juggle. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Artifice" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Artifice"?

There are 145 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Artifice". Common alternatives include device, dodge, fetch, flimflam, gambit, gimmick, jig, juggle, knack and play.

What is the opposite of "Artifice"?

Antonyms of "Artifice" include artlessness, ineptitude, ineptness, maladroitness, forthrightness, good faith, guilelessness and ingenuousness. Near antonyms include amateurishness, awkwardness, clumsiness and crudeness.

How do you use "Artifice" in a sentence?

Examples of "Artifice" in a sentence: "used the artifice of saying his grandmother had died so that he could get the last seat on the plane"; "using their artifice, the Greeks crafted a hollow wooden horse to hide inside and thereby gained entry into the city of Troy"; "a painting that could only have been created with the artifice of a master".

Is "Artifice" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Artifice" is a noun.

Is "Artifice" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As a C2-level word, "Artifice" is typical of Cambridge C2 Proficiency (CPE), IELTS band 8.5–9.0, TOEFL iBT 114–120, PTE Academic 85–90. Advanced words like this are also useful for the GRE, SAT, GMAT, and LSAT.

How do you pronounce "Artifice"?

"Artifice" is pronounced /ˈär-tə-fəs/ and divided into syllables as ar·ti·fice.