1
as in cunning
skill in achieving one's ends through indirect, subtle, or underhanded means
with well-practiced artfulness, he convinced his mother he was sick enough to stay home from school but not sick enough for a visit to the doctor's office
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in skill
subtle or imaginative ability in inventing, devising, or executing something
building a ship model requires a painstaking artfulness I don't have
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for artfulness
Noun
-
Despite being outnumbered fifty-to-one 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.—
Joe Otterson,
Variety,
30 July 2025 -
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,
28 May 2025
Noun
-
However, Boone was incredibly complimentary of Rice’s catching skills on Monday and Tuesday.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
12 Aug. 2025
-
Not bad, but not good for a first baseman/corner outfielder with zero baserunning or defensive skills.—
Tony Blengino,
Forbes.com,
12 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
The subtlety of French girl beauty products meets stateside oomph with the Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse Shimmer Multi-Purpose Dry Oil.—
Annie Blackman,
Allure,
15 Aug. 2025
-
Those subtleties are still able to hook us some somehow.—
Matt Donnelly,
Variety,
11 Aug. 2025
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.
Cite this Entry
“Artfulness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/artfulness. Accessed 22 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share