1
as in ruse
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
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2
as in cunning
skill in achieving one's 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
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3
as in skill
subtle or imaginative ability in inventing, devising, or executing something
a painting that could only have been created with the artifice of a master
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4
as in deception
the inclination or practice of misleading others through lies or trickery
a crook who is a master of artifice and manipulation
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5
as in treachery
the use of clever underhanded actions to achieve an end
he's willing to resort to artifice to get himself out of this jam
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of artifice
The work of most contemporary novels is the work of grounding: fix the reader to a solid artifice (preferably plot) and maintain that attachment for seventy-thousand words.
—
Dan Leach
july 3, Literary Hub, 3 July 2025
All are not mere human artifice, but the surfacing of something real.
—Amir Husain, Forbes.com, 26 May 2025
Both of these movies glimpse the eternal through a scrim of pure artifice, where every last aspect of the frame is controlled by its author.
—Christian Blauvelt, IndieWire, 28 Apr. 2025
Inspired by the artifice of playthings, Jacobs turned to 1960s paper dolls last February, and this season opened the door to the dollhouse once again with clownish, clomping platform heels that forced his models to walk with a Barbie-like gait.
—Leah Dolan, CNN Money, 3 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for artifice
Dan Leach
july 3, Literary Hub, 3 July 2025
All are not mere human artifice, but the surfacing of something real.
—Amir Husain, Forbes.com, 26 May 2025
Both of these movies glimpse the eternal through a scrim of pure artifice, where every last aspect of the frame is controlled by its author.
—Christian Blauvelt, IndieWire, 28 Apr. 2025
Inspired by the artifice of playthings, Jacobs turned to 1960s paper dolls last February, and this season opened the door to the dollhouse once again with clownish, clomping platform heels that forced his models to walk with a Barbie-like gait.
—Leah Dolan, CNN Money, 3 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for artifice
Recent Examples of Synonyms for artifice
Noun
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Just a guess here: This may have been something of a ruse by the Padres.—
Tom Krasovic,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
4 Aug. 2025
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The then-officer's role was to show up in his scout car to legitimize the eviction ruse, authorities said.—
Violet Ikonomova,
Freep.com,
16 July 2025
Noun
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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
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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
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If these efforts are successful, becoming a drone pilot will require fewer skills and less experience.—
ERIC SCHMIDT,
Foreign Affairs,
12 Aug. 2025
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But Swifties are just as adept at that skill as Holmes.—
Pete Grathoff,
Kansas City Star,
12 Aug. 2025
Noun
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The deception here is the notion that these four men are playing against one another, cards or dice or some type of game.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
13 Aug. 2025
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Clown references imply the fans are in on Swift's schemes, here for the deception and recognize the serious undertones beneath the singer's stage makeup.—
Nicole Fallert,
USA Today,
12 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Thus far, this prosecution, and a corresponding case against the gang in Sacramento, have been rife with evidence of treachery and violence inside and outside of prison.—
Nate Gartrell,
Mercury News,
31 July 2025
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The six-parter, to debut July 14, follows six groups of friends, and six historical cases of murder and treachery among them.—
Etan Vlessing,
HollywoodReporter,
19 June 2025
Noun
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So yes, before the green flag dropped Saturday, with the throwback paint scheme unchipped and pristine — that was the moment that everyone was waiting on.—
Alex Zietlow,
Charlotte Observer,
17 Aug. 2025
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From a scheme perspective, that would also fall on LaFleur.—
Evan Massey,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Gi-seok had been caught up in the delicate web of power and deceit that holds Seoul’s two major gangs—the Juwoon Group and the Bongsan Group—in place.—
Kayti Burt,
Time,
6 June 2025
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What begins as a convenient living arrangement spirals into a dangerous game of desire and deceit.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
21 July 2025
Noun
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That phonetic play alone already signals one of the project’s theoretical subterfuges: that of exploring the most advanced conditions of the subject’s annihilation as a foundational precondition for artistic authority.—
Benjamin H. D. Buchloh,
Artforum,
1 June 2025
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An especially Jewish theme in the seventeenth century was not only the necessity but the dignity of subterfuge; to have lived in the shadows of another people’s empire had a nobility of its own, captured in this exquisite and ambivalent image.—
Adam Gopnik,
New Yorker,
19 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Artifice.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/artifice. Accessed 21 Aug. 2025.
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