Synonyms of artifice

artifice

noun

ˈär-tə-fəs 

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• ruse
• scheme
• trick
• device
• stratagem
• gambit
• ploy
• knack
• sleight of hand
• jig
• flimflam
• deception
• dodge
• sleight
• gimmick
• fetch
• bluff
• wile
• subterfuge
• trickery
• fakery
• cunning
• duplicity
• play
• chicanery
• juggle
• feint
• jugglery
• hoax
• shenanigan
• swindling
• skulduggery
• cheating
• legerdemain
• swindle
• fraud
• end run
• cozenage
• sham
• craft
• crookery
• blind
• smoke screen
• gaff
• dupery
• front

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• cunning
• artfulness
• subtlety
• guile
• slyness
• deviousness
• slickness
• craft
• canniness
• craftiness
• sneakiness
• subtleness
• ease
• wiliness
• cunningness
• calculation
• caginess
• inventiveness
• cleverness
• design
• care
• ingenuity
• shrewdness
• foxiness
• ingeniousness
• guilefulness
• duplicity
• savvy
• finesse
• facility
• sharpness
• shiftiness
• deceitfulness
• underhandedness

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• skill
• skillfulness
• art
• cunning
• artistry
• artfulness
• ease
• creativity
• proficiency
• cleverness
• adeptness
• talent
• adroitness
• expertise
• deftness
• masterfulness
• craft
• experience
• knack
• finesse
• aptitude
• inventiveness
• ingenuity
• dexterity
• gift
• knowledge
• learning
• flair
• expertness
• handiness
• know-how
• bent

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• artlessness
• ineptitude
• ineptness
• awkwardness
• clumsiness
• crudeness
• amateurishness
• rudeness
• incapacity
• inability
• inefficiency
• maladroitness
• incompetence
• inadequacy
• ineffectiveness
• ineffectuality
• inefficacy
• incapability
• klutziness
• ineffectualness
• inadequateness

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• deception
• deceit
• deceptiveness
• fraud
• cunning
• cheating
• deceitfulness
• fakery
• duplicity
• lying
• dissimulation
• dishonesty
• guile
• double-dealing
• cozenage
• dissembling
• secrecy
• crookedness
• crookery
• craftiness
• craft
• wiliness
• cunningness
• subterfuge
• trickery
• dupery
• fraudulence
• artfulness
• chicanery
• prevarication
• foxiness
• jugglery
• equivocation
• mendacity
• insincerity
• hypocrisy
• swindling
• skulduggery
• legerdemain
• guilefulness
• obliquity
• shrewdness
• chicane
• deviousness
• fib
• falsehood
• untruth
• wile
• hanky-panky
• mountebankery
• sanctimoniousness
• furtiveness
• falsity
• underhandedness
• caginess
• slyness
• covertness
• slickness
• slipperiness
• sneakiness
• shiftiness
• smoothness
• unscrupulousness
• shadiness
• treacherousness
• stealthiness
• two-facedness
• oiliness

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• sincerity
• good faith
• artlessness
• ingenuousness
• frankness
• candor
• openness
• directness
• forthrightness
• plainness
• honesty
• guilelessness
• reliability
• probity
• solidity
• integrity
• trustworthiness
• candidness
• goodness
• dependability
• truthfulness
• righteousness
• decency
• plainspokenness
• uprightness
• incorruptibility
• reliableness
• trustability
• trustiness
• virtuousness

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• deception
• treachery
• subterfuge
• trickery
• artfulness
• deceptiveness
• chicanery
• jugglery
• gamesmanship
• secrecy
• skulduggery
• cunning
• deceit
• stealth
• legerdemain
• chicane
• scheming
• wile
• jiggery-pokery
• plotting
• duplicity
• deceitfulness
• hanky-panky
• shrewdness
• fakery
• insincerity
• hypocrisy
• slipperiness
• slyness
• slickness
• deviousness
• dissimulation
• shiftiness
• dishonesty
• imposture
• guile
• underhandedness
• double-dealing
• design
• sneakiness
• craftiness
• humbuggery
• quackery
• crookedness
• oiliness
• wiliness
• shadiness
• caginess
• sharpness
• dupery
• crookery
• dirty pool
• foxiness
• dirty tricks
• guilefulness

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• sincerity
• artlessness
• ingenuousness
• guilelessness
• forthrightness
• directness
• openness
• candor
• plainness
• candidness
• plainspokenness

Synonym Chooser

How is the word artifice different from other nouns like it?

Some common synonyms of artifice are feint, maneuver, ruse, stratagem, trick, and wile. While all these words mean "an indirect means to gain an end," artifice implies ingenious contrivance or invention.

the clever artifices of the stage

When would feint be a good substitute for artifice?

While in some cases nearly identical to artifice, feint implies a diversion or distraction of attention away from one's real intent.

a feint toward the enemy's left flank

When can maneuver be used instead of artifice?

While the synonyms maneuver and artifice are close in meaning, maneuver suggests adroit and skillful avoidance of difficulty.

last-minute maneuvers to avert bankruptcy

When is ruse a more appropriate choice than artifice?

The synonyms ruse and artifice are sometimes interchangeable, but ruse stresses an attempt to mislead by a false impression.

the ruses of smugglers

Where would stratagem be a reasonable alternative to artifice?

The words stratagem and artifice are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, stratagem implies a ruse used to entrap, outwit, circumvent, or surprise an opponent or enemy.

the stratagem-filled game

When is it sensible to use trick instead of artifice?

The meanings of trick and artifice largely overlap; however, trick may imply deception, roguishness, illusion, and either an evil or harmless end.

the tricks of the trade

When might wile be a better fit than artifice?

The words wile and artifice can be used in similar contexts, but wile suggests an attempt to entrap or deceive with false allurements.

used all of his wiles to ingratiate himself

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of artifice

Beautiful could get away with a measure of artifice, as a presentation about performance. — Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 23 Sep. 2026

Freedom, mobility; who gets to be an artist; style, ornamentation, artifice; work, leisure; the counterculture; the denigration of femininity; West Coast oddballism. — Literary Hub, 15 Sep. 2026

Portman actually released no statement, and many critics noted that Cusk’s novel is more of an intentionally disorienting examination of the artifices of self and celebrity than a tell-all roman à clef. — René Ostberg, Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Sep. 2026

Laura Owens pleaded guilty to several criminal counts, including fraudulent schemes and artifices, taking the identity of another, and perjury. — Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Aug. 2026

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