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Synonym Chooser

How is the word artful distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of artful are crafty, cunning, foxy, slick, sly, tricky, and wily. While all these words mean "attaining or seeking to attain one's ends by guileful or devious means," artful implies indirectness in dealing and often connotes sophistication or cleverness.

elicited the information by artful questioning

When might crafty be a better fit than artful?

The meanings of crafty and artful largely overlap; however, crafty implies cleverness and subtlety of method.

a crafty lefthander

When could cunning be used to replace artful?

Although the words cunning and artful have much in common, cunning suggests the inventive use of sometimes limited intelligence in overreaching or circumventing.

the cunning fox avoided the trap

Where would foxy be a reasonable alternative to artful?

The words foxy and artful are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, foxy implies a shrewd and wary craftiness usually involving devious dealing.

a foxy publicity man planting stories

In what contexts can slick take the place of artful?

The words slick and artful can be used in similar contexts, but slick emphasizes smoothness and guile.

slick operators selling time-sharing

When would sly be a good substitute for artful?

In some situations, the words sly and artful are roughly equivalent. However, sly implies furtiveness, lack of candor, and skill in concealing one's aims and methods.

a sly corporate raider

When is it sensible to use tricky instead of artful?

While in some cases nearly identical to artful, tricky is more likely to suggest shiftiness and unreliability than skill in deception and maneuvering.

a tricky political operative

When can wily be used instead of artful?

While the synonyms wily and artful are close in meaning, wily implies skill and deception in maneuvering.

the wily fugitive escaped the posse

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of artful Simply artful arrange your fruit of choice and bake away. Alana Al-Hatlani, Southern Living, 1 Mar. 2025 From an artful Austin home to a colorful mountain retreat in Montana, Chupik and her team make each space unique and timeless. Dan Howarth, Architectural Digest, 25 Feb. 2025 Erdem’s artful show was fittingly staged at The British Museum. Tianwei Zhang, WWD, 25 Feb. 2025 Brady’s movies exude showmanship at its most artful — worlds containing multitudes, and among those multitudes, singular people carrying the weight of the world on their shoulders like the Greek Titan Atlas. Natalie Portman, Deadline, 17 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for artful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for artful
Adjective
  • Every actor is absolutely perfect in this super-efficient romp, from Cleese’s perfect straight man amidst the chaos, to Curtis’ seductive, cunning femme fatale, to Palin’s stammering, animal-loving hitman whose assassination attempts go disastrously wrong.
    Travis Bean, Forbes, 22 Mar. 2025
  • Their infatuations are challenged by a cunning philosopher who persuades the bros to pretend they’ve been suddenly drafted and to return later in disguise to woo each other’s fiancée.
    Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 12 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Society 48, the resort's American brasserie, offers all-day dining featuring inventive global dishes that celebrate both land and sea.
    Carrie Coolidge, Forbes, 21 Mar. 2025
  • The eclectic sounds of Larkin Poe served as a perfect lead-in for Stephen Wilson Jr., the singer, songwriter, and inventive guitarist who has been steadily building an audience for the past two years with his 2023 album Son of Dad.
    Rolling Stone, Rolling Stone, 21 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • His rapping has a frail, slithering quality; his vocal tone morphs between cute squeakiness and ragged rottweiler growls.
    Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 21 Mar. 2025
  • This Mainstays set accomplishes both goals and is so cute for summer.
    Megan Schaltegger, Travel + Leisure, 21 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • The digital device is exhausted, the runtime stretches a tad too long, and a club scene that begins as an admirable feat (making clever use of the Music Box Theatre) begins to drag, before giving way to a crucial turning point in the story.
    Shania Russell, EW.com, 28 Mar. 2025
  • Later in the same game, Miami ran four verts with a clever outside receiver cross-field motion.
    Ted Nguyen, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • This skillful painting by Sophie Zhou, a junior at The Kincaid School, was sold for a record $276,000 at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo's school art competition auction.
    Shafaq Patel, Axios, 19 Mar. 2025
  • This hints that, yes, skillful storytellers may actually live longer.
    Ron Shachar, Scientific American, 7 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Look closely, and like Castillo’s U.S. passport, the CARICOM passport holds subtle clues.
    R. Daniel Foster, Forbes.com, 26 Mar. 2025
  • Webb also made a subtle tweak to his mechanics, adding movement to his back foot during his windup as opposed to remaining stationary.
    Justice delos Santos, Mercury News, 26 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • The company exhibited within the Smart Bedding section in Hall 11, which focused on innovative solutions for sleep.
    SJ Studio, Sourcing Journal, 28 Mar. 2025
  • With innovative design and small-space-friendly decor that maximizes even the teeniest of footprints, these micro lodges are a travel trend AD can’t help but get behind, from a mountain-view wonder in Washington to a stylish pad in Atlanta.
    Kristi Kellogg, Architectural Digest, 28 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Calliope: This artistic, historic name honors a Greek muse.
    Lydia Wang, Parents, 27 Mar. 2025
  • Noah was given the artistic license that most designers can only dream of.
    Michael Verdon, Robb Report, 27 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Artful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/artful. Accessed 3 Apr. 2025.

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