1
as in cunning
clever at attaining one's ends by indirect and often deceptive means
the artful lawyer got the witness to admit he had been lying
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in inventive
showing a noteworthy use of the imagination and creativity especially in inventing
that kitchen gadget is an artful tool for extracting cherry pits
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in virtuoso
accomplished with trained ability
that was an artful way to handle a very delicate situation
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of artful
Coco Beach uses nature and artful design to deliver the Caribbean equivalent of a steel ring of privacy for its guests.
—
Sarah Turner,
Robb Report,
25 June 2026
Through artful political compromise in Congress, the bill compiles nearly 50 initiatives from dozens of proposals offered by both sides of the aisle.
—
The Christian Science Monitor,
Christian Science Monitor,
24 June 2026
Forky’s introduction came in Toy Story 4, starting life as a plastic spork who was then fashioned into a toy thanks to some artful placement of pipe cleaners and popsicle sticks by Buzz and Woody’s current kid, Bonnie.
—
Mia Galuppo,
HollywoodReporter,
20 June 2026
The majority of his customers come in for tattoos of a conventional and artful sort.
—
Rick Kogan,
Chicago Tribune,
17 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for artful
Sarah Turner,
Robb Report,
25 June 2026
Through artful political compromise in Congress, the bill compiles nearly 50 initiatives from dozens of proposals offered by both sides of the aisle.
—
The Christian Science Monitor,
Christian Science Monitor,
24 June 2026
Forky’s introduction came in Toy Story 4, starting life as a plastic spork who was then fashioned into a toy thanks to some artful placement of pipe cleaners and popsicle sticks by Buzz and Woody’s current kid, Bonnie.
—
Mia Galuppo,
HollywoodReporter,
20 June 2026
The majority of his customers come in for tattoos of a conventional and artful sort.
—
Rick Kogan,
Chicago Tribune,
17 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for artful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for artful
Adjective
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That doesn't enable cunning and unprincipled men to subvert the power of the people.
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For decades, humans mined antibiotic molecules from microbes and tweaked them to develop new drugs, staying ahead of evolution’s cunning countermeasures.
Adjective
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That disposition compounded into the richest, most inventive society the world has ever seen.
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As the clock ticked toward halftime, the Canadians got a little more inventive and put more pressure on the Bafana Bafana penalty area.
Adjective
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Thanks to more than 200 years of intense and virtuoso scientific work, what were once valid or at least plausible concerns and objections to vaccines have been overcome.
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A lot of the movie feels like a virtuoso chase sequence, people barreling down the road, guns blazing.
Adjective
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Berries, given their naturally tiny nature, are a super cute choice.
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The pair have to find their friends (JJ included) which leads to a cute game of peekaboo.
Adjective
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See, for me, naming a snowplow isn’t just about clever wordplay.
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Later in the day, your mind finds a clever solution, a useful contact or a whole new point of view.
Adjective
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There’s likely to be grasping, resisting, skillful and futile efforts to swim and worry about what’s up ahead.
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One of the few calls of the night was from Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault, ready to get his hands on the skillful point guard.
Adjective
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Obviously there’s a resemblance but in a really subtle and tasteful way.
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Your reward will be the sight of a tiny pale point with a subtle blue-green tint.
Adjective
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The Bay is an innovative redevelopment project that's created a signature public park along Sarasota Bay.
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The NACo Achievement Awards recognize innovative county programs that improve services for residents, upgrade working conditions or enhance public participation.
Cite this Entry
“Artful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/artful. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
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