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
Poptimism, the ascendant belief that a genre ruled by formulas and artifice can contain plenty of originality and humanity, made Robyn its mascot.
—
Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 11 Mar. 2026
Anderson’s early films are still his best because their artifice inevitably gives way to sentiment.
—Walden Green, Pitchfork, 2 Mar. 2026
Clark and Carol’s authentic selves are, by contrast, buried under layers of artifice.
—Judy Berman, Time, 26 Feb. 2026
His whimsical and precisely-staged tales play on the artifice of cinema as much as on the heightened emotions of their characters.
—David Morgan, CBS News, 29 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for artifice
Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 11 Mar. 2026
Anderson’s early films are still his best because their artifice inevitably gives way to sentiment.
—Walden Green, Pitchfork, 2 Mar. 2026
Clark and Carol’s authentic selves are, by contrast, buried under layers of artifice.
—Judy Berman, Time, 26 Feb. 2026
His whimsical and precisely-staged tales play on the artifice of cinema as much as on the heightened emotions of their characters.
—David Morgan, CBS News, 29 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for artifice
Recent Examples of Synonyms for artifice
Noun
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Six phone calls made from one of the suspect numbers — in between calls to the San Francisco victim on the day of his robbery — were to a Los Angeles man who was zip-tied, duct-taped and beaten inside his Los Angeles home on New Year’s Eve, following a delivery ruse.—
Megan Cassidy,
San Francisco Chronicle,
3 Apr. 2026
-
Antoine’s art dealer Armand (Lellouche), desperate to keep Antoine from falling apart, urges Suzanne to keep the ruse alive.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
1 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The Brazil international combines technical craft with a decisive cunning.—
Carl Anka,
New York Times,
21 Mar. 2026
-
But Muck is no Epstein, malevolent and cunning.—
Spencer Kornhaber,
The Atlantic,
2 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
If feedback arrives, take it as encouragement to refine, not retreat, since practice is what makes potential skills into real ones!—
Tarot.com,
Sun Sentinel,
3 Apr. 2026
-
Since the start of the school year, four Cristo Rey students have worked as interns to gain administrative skills and firsthand experience in how a nonprofit operates.—
Christina Mayo,
Miami Herald,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
In 2024, North Korea claimed to have successfully testlaunched a multiwarhead missile, but South Korea quickly dismissed it as deception to cover up a failed launch.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
30 Mar. 2026
-
These include debt bondage, restriction of movement, withholding of wages, excessive overtime, physical violence, surveillance, deception, isolation, abuse of vulnerability and abusive conditions.—
Efrat Lachter,
FOXNews.com,
29 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Undocumented immigrants venture from Mexico, often underestimating of the treachery of the landscape.—
Shi En Kim,
AZCentral.com,
26 Mar. 2026
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Jonathan Cute kept probing the murky realms between tourism and treachery.—
Adam Ciralsky,
Vanity Fair,
19 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The prosecution said all along that the two younger defendants were part of the scheme, but Alaniz Pineda was the one who shot Canoy.—
Shannon Tyler,
Idaho Statesman,
4 Apr. 2026
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Authorities arrested eight people accused of conducting a series of health care fraud schemes that bilked tens of millions of dollars from Medicare and other insurance companies across Southern California, prosecutors announced April 2.—
Thao Nguyen,
USA Today,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Mike Bowman, designer, furniture industry expert, and director of marketing for Harmonia Living, says this trend relies on furnishings to bring artfulness to a space—rather than just functionality.—
Patricia Shannon,
Better Homes & Gardens,
10 Jan. 2026
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There is a real seriousness to the score — the scheming bad-guy music has the artfulness of Prokofiev, and even the sneaking-around cues have musical integrity and structure.—
Tim Greiving,
Vulture,
3 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Taking someone’s money by deceit is generally not allowed, and the misrepresentations contained in the contract could serve as proof of the alleged fraud.—
Robert L. Boone,
Sportico.com,
31 Mar. 2026
-
And in Six Degrees of Separation (1993), Hurt played one of the New York socialites who falls into the web of deceit created by a charismatic young man (Will Smith) pretending to be the son of Sidney Poitier.—
Chris Koseluk,
HollywoodReporter,
29 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Artifice.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/artifice. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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