Definition of artifice
b
:an ingenious device or expedient
What's Trending Now
More Trending Words
Explore Merriam-Webster
artifice was our Word of the Day on 05/02/2010. Hear the podcast!
Theme music by Joshua Stamper ©2006 New Jerusalem Music/ASCAP
Examples of artifice in a Sentence
He spoke without artifice or pretense.
The whole story was just an artifice to win our sympathy.
Recent Examples of artifice from the Web
-
But in a production that flaunts its artifice, these comparatively grisly scenes are clearly staged and faked.
-
That kind of deconstruction of art and artifice keeps the show’s concept moving forward.
-
Irony suggests drama, an artifice from Greek tragedy, or Shakespeare.
-
To live restricted to casual speech rather than the artifice of writing creates a psychology ill equipped to score highly on the distinctly modern stunt known as the IQ test.
-
The 2015 ObamaCare repeal votes in the House and Senate were artifice.
-
That hint of artifice is necessary for this film, which is more social commentary than social realism.
-
But all of that artifice is probably part of the point, best appreciated by generation Ear Bud and its preference for curated experiences.
-
She was also charged with one count of fraud in connection with the sale of securities, employing a device, scheme or artifice, and one count of first degree theft by deception.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'artifice.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The difference between art and artifice
Do great actors display artifice or art? Sometimes a bit of both. Artifice stresses creative skill or intelligence, but also implies a sense of falseness and trickery. Art generally rises above such falseness, suggesting instead an unanalyzable creative force. Actors may rely on some of each, but the personae they display in their roles are usually artificial creations. Therein lies a lexical connection between art and artifice. Artifice derives from artificium, Latin for artifice (that root also gave English artificial). Artificium in turn developed from ars, the Latin root underlying the word art (and related terms such as artist and artisan).
Origin and Etymology of artifice
Middle French, from Latin artificium, from artific-, artifex artificer, from Latin art-, ars + facere — see artifact
artifice Synonyms
Synonyms
trick, device, dodge, fetch, flimflam, gambit, gimmick, jig, juggle, knack, play, ploy, scheme, shenanigan, sleight, stratagem, wileAntonyms
artlessness, ineptitude, ineptness, maladroitnessRelated Words
bluff, end run, feint; cheating, chicanery, cozenage, craft, crookery, cunning, deception, dupery, duplicity, fakery, jugglery, legerdemain, skulduggery (or skullduggery), subterfuge, swindling, trickery; fraud, gaff, hoax, sham, swindle; blind, front, smoke screenNear Antonyms
amateurishness, awkwardness, clumsiness, crudeness, klutziness, rudeness; inability, inadequacy, inadequateness, incapability, incapacity, incompetence, ineffectiveness, ineffectuality, ineffectualness, inefficacy, inefficiencySynonym Discussion of artifice
trick, ruse, stratagem, maneuver, artifice, wile, feint mean an indirect means to gain an end. trick may imply deception, roguishness, illusion, and either an evil or harmless end.
-
- the tricks of the trade
-
- the ruses of smugglers
-
- the stratagem-filled game
-
- last-minute maneuvers to avert bankruptcy
-
- the clever artifices of the stage
-
- used all of his wiles to ingratiate himself
-
- a feint toward the enemy's left flank
art, skill, cunning, artifice, craft mean the faculty of executing well what one has devised. art implies a personal, unanalyzable creative power.
-
- the art of choosing the right word
-
- the skill of a glassblower
-
- a mystery plotted with great cunning
-
- believed realism in film could be achieved only by artifice
-
- the craft of a master goldsmith
ARTIFICE Defined for Kids
Law Dictionary
Learn More about artifice
-
Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for artifice Spanish Central: Translation of artifice Nglish: Translation of artifice for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of artifice for Arabic speakers
Seen and Heard
What made you want to look up artifice? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
