Thesaurus

artifice

noun

Synonyms and Antonyms of artifice

1 a clever often underhanded means to achieve an end

used the artifice of saying his grandmother had died so that he could get the last seat on the plane

Synonyms of artifice

device, dodge, fetch, flimflam, gambit, gimmick, jig, juggle, knack, play, ploy, ruse, scheme, shenanigan, sleight, stratagem, trick, wile

Words Related to artifice

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 screen

Phrases Synonymous with artifice

sleight of hand

2 skill in achieving oneʼs ends through indirect, subtle, or underhanded means

using their artifice, the Greeks crafted a hollow wooden horse to hide inside and thereby gained entry into the city of Troy

Synonyms of artifice

artfulness, caginess (also cageyness), canniness, craft, craftiness, cunning, cunningness, deviousness, foxiness, guile, guilefulness, slickness, slyness, sneakiness, subtleness, subtlety, wiliness

Words Related to artifice

calculation, care, design

savvy, sharpness, shrewdness

cleverness, ingeniousness, ingenuity, inventiveness

ease, facility, finesse

deceitfulness, duplicity, shiftiness, underhandedness

3 subtle or imaginative ability in inventing, devising, or executing something

a painting that could only have been created with the artifice of a master

Synonyms of artifice

adeptness, adroitness, art, artfulness, artistry, cleverness, craft, cunning, deftness, masterfulness, skill, skillfulness

Words Related to artifice

dexterity, ease, finesse, handiness

experience, expertise, expertness, know-how, proficiency

creativity, ingenuity, inventiveness, knowledge, learning

aptitude, bent, flair, gift, knack, talent

Near Antonyms of artifice

amateurishness, awkwardness, clumsiness, crudeness, klutziness, rudeness

inability, inadequacy, inadequateness, incapability, incapacity, incompetence, ineffectiveness, ineffectuality, ineffectualness, inefficacy, inefficiency

Antonyms of artifice

artlessness, ineptitude, ineptness, maladroitness

4 the inclination or practice of misleading others through lies or trickery

a crook who is a master of artifice and manipulation

Synonyms of artifice

cheating, cozenage, craft, craftiness, crookedness, crookery, cunning, cunningness, deceit, deceitfulness, deception, deceptiveness, dishonesty, dissembling, dissimulation, double-dealing, dupery, duplicity, fakery, foxiness, fraud, guile, guilefulness, wiliness

Words Related to artifice

equivocation, lying, mendacity, prevarication

chicane, chicanery, fraudulence, hanky-panky, jugglery, legerdemain, mountebankery, obliquity, skulduggery (or skullduggery), subterfuge, swindling, trickery, wile

falsehood, falsity, fib, untruth

hypocrisy, insincerity, sanctimoniousness, two-facedness

artfulness, caginess (also cageyness), deviousness, shrewdness

treacherousness, underhandedness, unscrupulousness

covertness, furtiveness, secrecy, shadiness, sneakiness, stealthiness

oiliness, shiftiness, slickness, slipperiness, slyness, smoothness

Near Antonyms of artifice

candidness, candor, directness, frankness, openness, plainness, plainspokenness

honesty, probity

dependability, reliability, reliableness, solidity, trustability, trustiness, trustworthiness

decency, goodness, incorruptibility, integrity, righteousness, truthfulness, uprightness, virtuousness

Antonyms of artifice

artlessness, forthrightness, good faith, guilelessness, ingenuousness, sincerity

5 the use of clever underhanded actions to achieve an end

he's willing to resort to artifice to get himself out of this jam

Synonyms of artifice

chicane, chicanery, gamesmanship, hanky-panky, jiggery-pokery, jugglery, legerdemain, skulduggery (or skullduggery), subterfuge, trickery, wile

Words Related to artifice

artfulness, caginess (also cageyness), craftiness, cunning, deviousness, foxiness, oiliness, shadiness, sharpness, shiftiness, shrewdness, slickness, slipperiness, slyness, sneakiness, treachery, underhandedness, wiliness

crookedness, crookery, cunning, deceit, deceitfulness, deception, deceptiveness, dishonesty, dissimulation, double-dealing, dupery, duplicity, guile, guilefulness, hypocrisy, insincerity

fakery, humbuggery, imposture, quackery

dirty pool, dirty tricks

design, plotting, scheming, secrecy, stealth

Near Antonyms of artifice

artlessness, forthrightness, guilelessness, ingenuousness, sincerity

candidness, candor, directness, openness, plainness, plainspokenness

Synonym 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

ruse stresses an attempt to mislead by a false impression.

- the ruses of smugglers

stratagem implies a ruse used to entrap, outwit, circumvent, or surprise an opponent or enemy.

- the stratagem-filled game

maneuver suggests adroit and skillful avoidance of difficulty.

- last-minute maneuvers to avert bankruptcy

artifice implies ingenious contrivance or invention.

- the clever artifices of the stage

wile suggests an attempt to entrap or deceive with false allurements.

- used all of his wiles to ingratiate himself

feint implies a diversion or distraction of attention away from one's real intent.

- a feint toward the enemy's left flank

Learn More about artifice

Dictionary: Definition of 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).

show comments

WORD OF THE DAY

milieu

the setting in which something occurs

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games