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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of artifice
Third-person narrative always calls into being a narrator, another layer of artifice, and here the slippage between present, past and past historic tenses also constantly reminds us that this story is at once engaging and not real.
—
Book Marks
june 5, Literary Hub, 5 June 2025
As The Better Sister peels away Chloe’s layers of artifice and reunites her and Nicky, experienced investigator Guidry and her new partner, Matt Bowen (Bobby Naderi), become more wary of the pair and their individual problems with Adam.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 29 May 2025
The bluntly declarative candor of their performances feels at once tweaked with the artifice of frank expressivity yet emotionally hyperreal.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 28 May 2025
Johnson doubles down on this artifice by relying heavily on backlot sets.
—Ryan Swen, Variety, 11 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for artifice
Book Marks
june 5, Literary Hub, 5 June 2025
As The Better Sister peels away Chloe’s layers of artifice and reunites her and Nicky, experienced investigator Guidry and her new partner, Matt Bowen (Bobby Naderi), become more wary of the pair and their individual problems with Adam.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 29 May 2025
The bluntly declarative candor of their performances feels at once tweaked with the artifice of frank expressivity yet emotionally hyperreal.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 28 May 2025
Johnson doubles down on this artifice by relying heavily on backlot sets.
—Ryan Swen, Variety, 11 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for artifice
Recent Examples of Synonyms for artifice
Noun
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Barriers lifted in advance, Mellor and his French Resistance passengers hurtled through at 80mph leaving guards little chance of spotting the night-time ruse.—
Iain Macauley,
Forbes.com,
5 June 2025
-
The ruse, Smith suggested in her memoir, was employed successfully on at least one occasion.—
Laurie Gwen Shapiro,
New Yorker,
2 June 2025
Noun
-
The chief specimen here (played by MMA fighter Chi Lewis-Parry) is a massive beast whose brute strength is matched by his cunning.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
18 June 2025
-
On the other end of the spectrum was the more docile Kelly who often felt conflicted when her morals clashed with the cunning needed to succeed in the game.—
Nick Caruso,
TVLine,
27 May 2025
Noun
-
The local event is part of a yearly nationwide ham radio open house, during which more than 40,000 amateur radio clubs throughout North America set up temporary transmitting stations in public places to demonstrate its science, skill, and service to communities and the nation.—
Orlando Sentinel Staff,
The Orlando Sentinel,
26 June 2025
-
Sure, Amelia gets to do some cool stuff like scamper on all fours toward a target, scramble down a wall like a spider, rip the head off one poor unfortunate and neutralize entire tactical units with her dazzling fight skills.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
25 June 2025
Noun
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This stylization gives her a veneer of being disarmingly kind; but ultimately, is a form of deception that caused Sophie to fatally trust this person.—
Tiffany Leigh,
Forbes.com,
25 June 2025
-
Codenamed Operation Midnight Hammer, the overnight mission relied on deception, aerial refueling, and near-total radio silence to hit Iran's Fordo and Natanz enrichment facilities—sites that had withstood weeks of sustained Israeli attacks.—
Jesus Mesa,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 June 2025
Noun
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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
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But amid the bloodbaths and treacheries, Westeros still penciled in time for a little romance — some more compelling than others (Jon and Ygritte > Jon and Daenerys).—
Tyler Aquilina,
EW.com,
17 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Galeotti said these schemes can increase the national deficit and threaten the long-term viability of health care for seniors, individuals with disabilities and other citizens who need these programs.—
Jenna Sundel
Hollie Silverman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 June 2025
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And most recycling schemes are still small-scale, unable to keep up with the sheer volume of cheap and short-use clothing flowing through the system.—
Zoe Bayliss Wong,
Forbes.com,
30 June 2025
Noun
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But the level of deceit of this entire plan is mind-boggling.—
Inga,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
16 June 2025
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The defense’s case largely rests on accusations that the investigation into O’Keefe’s death was mired by deceit, incompetence and bias.—
Karissa Waddick,
USA Today,
10 June 2025
Noun
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The facility had been subject to sabotage and subterfuge by Israel for many years even before these attacks–including a computer virus that wrecked the centrifuges over a decade ago.—
Geoff Brumfiel,
NPR,
26 June 2025
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When the magazine writer Dylan (Daryl Wein) and his girlfriend and photographer, Lucy (Abigail Cowen), descend upon the rocker Milo (Jack Farthing), there’s subterfuge afoot.—
Lisa Kennedy,
New York Times,
1 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Artifice.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/artifice. Accessed 8 Jul. 2025.
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