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
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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
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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
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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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in treachery
the use of clever underhanded actions to achieve an end
he's willing to resort to artifice to get himself out of this jam
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of artifice
Soderbergh and Koepp, for their part, express their own fervent belief: in the seductive glamour of espionage and the magnetism of Blanchett’s and Fassbender’s interlocking gazes—which is to say, in the enveloping artifice and power of movies.
—
Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 12 Mar. 2025
But beneath all this color and artifice and levity runs something deeper and more personal.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 7 Feb. 2025
Did Clay dream this white woman up, or is this dour manic pixie dream girl only a literary device, the movie itself dreaming, whose attention-getting silhouette is also meant to call attention to her own artifice as a writer’s creation?
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 14 Mar. 2025
Nurturing Diversity On Boards Beyond Gender Women leaders who understand and embrace diversity on boards from a broader perspective position their board presence beyond a gender-balance artifice.
—Albana Vrioni, Forbes, 4 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for artifice
Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 12 Mar. 2025
But beneath all this color and artifice and levity runs something deeper and more personal.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 7 Feb. 2025
Did Clay dream this white woman up, or is this dour manic pixie dream girl only a literary device, the movie itself dreaming, whose attention-getting silhouette is also meant to call attention to her own artifice as a writer’s creation?
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 14 Mar. 2025
Nurturing Diversity On Boards Beyond Gender Women leaders who understand and embrace diversity on boards from a broader perspective position their board presence beyond a gender-balance artifice.
—Albana Vrioni, Forbes, 4 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for artifice
Recent Examples of Synonyms for artifice
Noun
-
Richie buys Harry's ruse regarding Tommy's murder, but there's a catch.—
Matt Cabral,
EW.com,
20 Apr. 2025
-
The wedding started as an elaborate three-way ruse concocted by Wai-Tung, a gay Taiwanese American man; his white boyfriend, Simon (Mitchell Lichtenstein); and Wei-Wei, an undocumented Chinese immigrant.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
19 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Despite being outnumbered 50-to-1 by the Five Families of the Italian mafia, the Westies’ legendary brutality and cunning have given them the leverage necessary to share the spoils through a fragile détente.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
18 Mar. 2025
-
Noted for his tenacity and cunning, Khamenei is also a man of conviction, and his hatred for the United States is deeply felt.—
Foreign Affairs,
Foreign Affairs,
25 Feb. 2025
Noun
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In each episode, the friends bring those skills together to overcome a new challenge as a team.—
Elisabeth Sherman,
Parents,
14 Apr. 2025
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This translates into Jan having to collaborate with many versions of himself that have unique skills and far too many conflicting personalities defined by past events.—
Fran Ruiz,
Space.com,
14 Apr. 2025
Noun
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In another case, Balmer pleaded guilty in 2016 to forgery and theft by deception charges, court documents show.—
Zoe Sottile,
CNN Money,
14 Apr. 2025
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Imposter syndrome is an internal struggle with feeling like a fraud despite being qualified, whereas career catfishing is an active deception.—
Cheryl Robinson,
Forbes.com,
13 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Because of that treachery Castor was a pure mortal, but Pollux was a half god.—
Mike Lynch,
Twin Cities,
6 Apr. 2025
-
After weeks of treachery and deception, the final roundtable has been viewed, and the winner or winners for The Traitors Season 3 have been revealed.—
Armando Tinoco,
Deadline,
6 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Nearly 30 years ago California legislators faced a test of their integrity in voting for an electricity deregulation scheme that ratepayers are still paying for.—
Jamie Court,
Mercury News,
19 Apr. 2025
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And perhaps the most frustrating and ironic aspect about these potential cuts is that in the scheme of the U.S. government’s overall budget, Mars gets much more of the planetary science budget than Venus.—
Bruce Dorminey,
Forbes.com,
18 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The deceit and deception is positively intoxicating to this longtime reality competition fan.—
Dalton Ross,
EW.com,
27 Mar. 2025
-
The campaign registers domains that are close enough to legitimate websites to trick users into clicking, or at least to stop them flagging the deceit.—
Zak Doffman,
Forbes,
12 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Other times, the responsible parties engage in active subterfuge.—
Sarah Stillman,
New Yorker,
14 Apr. 2025
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His delivery of Mantel’s dialogue—modern, intelligent, bristling with implication and subterfuge—is mesmerizingly clear.—
Taylor Antrim,
Vogue,
20 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Artifice.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/artifice. Accessed 23 Apr. 2025.
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