1
as in cunning
clever at attaining one's ends by indirect and often deceptive means
the artful lawyer got the witness to admit he had been lying
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in inventive
showing a noteworthy use of the imagination and creativity especially in inventing
that kitchen gadget is an artful tool for extracting cherry pits
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in virtuoso
accomplished with trained ability
that was an artful way to handle a very delicate situation
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of artful
Based on Denis Johnson’s award-winning novella, this artful, elliptical tale of one ordinary man’s life (Edgerton) in the early 20th century has already received rave reviews out of the Sundance Film Festival.
—
Tolly Wright, Vulture, 8 Sep. 2025
Compact yet artful, this statement piece seamlessly translates the suede trend into night-out and cocktail-ready territory.
—Lauren Alexis Fisher, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2025
McLaren and her team work on residential and commercial projects nationwide, incorporating an artful blend of styles and plenty of surprising details, from bold wall conversing to unexpected color palettes.
—Elizabeth Stamp, Architectural Digest, 3 Sep. 2025
Joan Silber is a contemporary genius at creating artful stories of a multitude of characters who ricochet in cunning ways, crossing generations and continents.
—Jane Ciabattari
september 2, Literary Hub, 2 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for artful
Tolly Wright, Vulture, 8 Sep. 2025
Compact yet artful, this statement piece seamlessly translates the suede trend into night-out and cocktail-ready territory.
—Lauren Alexis Fisher, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2025
McLaren and her team work on residential and commercial projects nationwide, incorporating an artful blend of styles and plenty of surprising details, from bold wall conversing to unexpected color palettes.
—Elizabeth Stamp, Architectural Digest, 3 Sep. 2025
Joan Silber is a contemporary genius at creating artful stories of a multitude of characters who ricochet in cunning ways, crossing generations and continents.
—Jane Ciabattari
september 2, Literary Hub, 2 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for artful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for artful
Adjective
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On this occasion, Fernandez’s cross flies over Cucurella and straight into the thick of the action, where Joao Pedro’s cunning movement creates space to get his header away.—
Thom Harris,
New York Times,
11 Sep. 2025
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Bening will costar on the series as Beulah Jackson, who's described as the powerful, cunning, and charming head of a major ranch in Texas.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
7 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Arena aims to bring hardware innovation to more people and allow inventive machinery to flourish, in the same way that the internet enabled an explosion of software services and apps.—
Aman Kidwai,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Sep. 2025
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Every year, the food seems to be more inventive and as diverse as the chef teams serving it up.—
Laura Ness,
Mercury News,
16 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Kirk Baxter’s arrhythmic cutting is designed around quicksilver shifts that, along with Barry Ackroyd’s restlessly attentive, mostly handheld camerawork, allow Bigelow to redirect our attention with virtuoso command.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
2 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Start with something easy, like a fridge magnet, tiny illustration, or cute DIY bookmark.—
Sophia Beams,
Better Homes & Gardens,
20 Sep. 2025
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In the song, JJ and his friends dress up in doctor, pirate, and more cute costumes.—
Elisabeth Sherman,
Parents,
19 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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None of them wound up being, to me, especially funny or clever.—
Katie Kilkenny,
HollywoodReporter,
19 Sep. 2025
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So while a raccoon's tiny hand reaching through your shower wall might feel like a scene from a thriller, the real story is far more down-to-earth—a clever animal simply looking for food and shelter.—
Lucy Notarantonio,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Nani was an exciting, skillful winger, and in the early part of his career in England, a one-time housemate of storied compatriot Cristiano Ronaldo.—
Patrick Snell,
CNN Money,
13 Sep. 2025
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The animation is flawless and the voice cast, including Dom DeLuise and Derek Jacobi, is note-perfect, but NIMH is most notable for its skillful blend of adventure yarn and emotional family drama, a combination rendered with expert care.—
Declan Gallagher,
EW.com,
13 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The subtle side snap buttons leading down to the slit provide detail without being distracting, and the pointelle knit offers enough stretch and texture to hug your curves in all the right places.—
Lane Nieset,
Travel + Leisure,
20 Sep. 2025
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Chisholm took a subtle shot at the Marlins, noting what was holding him back.—
Aaliyan Mohammed,
MSNBC Newsweek,
20 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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As a leader, putting your focus building a truly innovative organization can enable you to pull up and look at the equity landscape from a bigger picture lens.—
Heather V. MacArthur,
Forbes.com,
18 Sep. 2025
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While technology has always played a role in diagnosing and treating disease, the health care industry as a whole has been slower to adopt innovative digital platforms for analyzing data to change how care is delivered.—
Alice Park,
Time,
18 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Artful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/artful. Accessed 22 Sep. 2025.
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