ARTIFICE Synonyms: 197 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

artifice

noun

ˈär-tə-fəs

Definition of artifice

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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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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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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of artifice But at the back of the hotel, on the Rue Cambon, Petit Bar became a kind of jewelled artifice, a sanctified space. — David Denby, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 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 Both of these characters are men that are really raw, and there’s not a lot of artifice to either one of them. — Rebecca Ford, Vanity Fair, 11 Aug. 2026 The surfaces continue to change as the button keeps on getting pushed, placing and recasting Diana, Lalo and The King in new contexts, each vaguely modelled on different film genres and with varying levels of playful artifice. — Josh Slater-Williams, IndieWire, 7 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for artifice

Recent Examples of Synonyms for artifice

Noun

But as their love affair gets steamier and Haru frantically tries to maintain her elaborate ruse, the dance numbers lose their luster.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2026
Litton had apparently set up a similar ruse at another small Seventh-day Adventist school, this one in Red Bluff, about 70 miles northwest of Oroville, sheriff’s officials said.

— Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of ruse

Noun

Rhaenyra also dismisses Mysaria, a wise move carried out in a very unwise manner, given the woman’s cunning.

— Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
Nolan foregrounds the nobility that guides the character (his guilt, his dedication to his men, his yearning for his family) and neglects his wily cunning and egotism.

— Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 27 July 2026

Definition of cunning

Noun

Earlier this week, Rolling Stone listed Laboriel among its top picks for possible replacements, noting his ferocious skills, friendship with Vedder, and his guest feature on the frontman’s 2022 solo LP, Earthling.

— Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 26 Sep. 2026
Slowing down became less a wellness cliché and more a survival skill, an essential part of learning to live inside my healing rather than constantly trying to outrun it.

— Stefanie Benjamin, Travel + Leisure, 26 Sep. 2026

Definition of skill

Noun

Magpies are opportunistic scavengers, incredibly cunning and deceitful and capable of calculated deception.

— Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 28 Sep. 2026
This experience combines identity deception, autonomous agent action and software supply-chain risk, along with social engineering devised by an agent and directed against a human.

— Carlo Tortora Brayda, Forbes.com, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of deception

Noun

The 7-foot-2 center is the type of rim-protecting force that can unlock a new scheme and elevate his teammates as the Lakers compete in a top-heavy Western Conference.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2026
That support included participating in the scheme; fundraising, mostly from recipients of pandemic-era government loans; arranging travel to Haiti and lodging for Sanon, Intriago and Solages and two dozen Colombian commandos.

— Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of scheme

Noun

The term seems to imply a mastery of all the resources of a form, displayed in a surprising context without self-conscious artfulness.

— Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 7 Sep. 2026
No need to get bogged down in questions about provenance, artfulness, long-form storytelling, or even metaphors.

— Robin Givhan, Vanity Fair, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of artfulness

Browse Nearby Words

artifacts

artifice

artificer

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Style

“Artifice.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/artifice. Accessed 2 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of artifice

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