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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Federico Marchetti, the Italian fashion entrepreneur, is a master of sprezzatura—the courtier’s art of cloaking ambition and cunning in an air of guileless nonchalance.—
John Seabrook,
New Yorker,
29 Sep. 2025
-
But Israeli cunning, buoyed by remarkable intelligence capabilities and precision targeting, has damaged the group.—
Sean Durns,
The Washington Examiner,
26 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Following her departure from the New York Times in 2020, Weiss sought out a market for her television skills without success.—
Max Tani,
semafor.com,
13 Oct. 2025
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During interview rounds when applicants showcase their skills through mini projects or tests, the executive values prospective hires who enhance their assignments with the tools.—
Eva Roytburg,
Fortune,
12 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Interestingly enough, the luminous pearl glides freely through the rail, allowing for subtlety that moves with you.—
Stacia Datskovska,
Footwear News,
13 Oct. 2025
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The actress manages to pull this off with subtlety and grace in a movie that could have easily gone straight for the emotional jugular.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
10 Oct. 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 17 Oct. 2025.
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