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
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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
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Recent Examples of artfulness
There is a real seriousness to the score — the scheming bad-guy music has the artfulness of Prokofiev, and even the sneaking-around cues have musical integrity and structure.
—
Tim Greiving, Vulture, 3 Sep. 2025
Tim Greiving, Vulture, 3 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for artfulness
Noun
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Landing a good apartment in New York City can take some cunning.—
Matthew Sedacca,
Curbed,
5 Nov. 2025
-
Coaching successfully in such conditions requires a mixture of humility and self-confidence, as well as a certain cunning.—
Dermot Corrigan,
New York Times,
31 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Investopedia defines it as a job done outside the office, typically requiring manual labor or skills in a particular trade.—
Daniel de Visé,
USA Today,
9 Nov. 2025
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Fisher-Price 4-in-1 Activity Table Foster your little one’s motor skills with this activity table that allows babies ages 6 months and up to flip, slide, roll, spin, and press the buttons, wheels, and lights.—
Mia Huelsbeck,
PEOPLE,
8 Nov. 2025
Noun
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There’s no subtlety to All’s Fair’s interest in the problems of the wealthy.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
5 Nov. 2025
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And these subtleties, called micro- or meso-expressions, vary from one culture to the next, as well as among individuals within each culture.—
Matt Fuchs,
Time,
4 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Ay, the superb slyness of that last response!—
Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
8 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Artfulness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/artfulness. Accessed 16 Nov. 2025.
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