ar·ti·fice
(är′tə-fĭs)n.
1.
a. Deception or trickery: The purchaser believed that the product was new only by artifice of the seller.
b. Something contrived or made up to achieve an end, especially by deceiving; a stratagem or ruse: "From the beginning, 'compassionate conservatism' was an artifice designed to mask Bush's conservatism from an electorate that did not want a sharp rightward turn" (Jonathan Chait). See Synonyms at wile.
2.
a. Cleverness or ingenuity in making or doing something; art or skill: "Literary artifice is the only means that a writer has at his disposal. How else can he convey his impression of life?" (Harry Levin).
b. An artistic device or convention: artifices such as conceits and puns.
[French, from Old French, craftsmanship, from Latin artificium, from artifex, artific-, craftsman : ars, art-, art; see art1 + -fex, maker; see dhē- in Indo-European roots.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
artifice
(ˈɑːtɪfɪs)n
1. a clever expedient; ingenious stratagem
2. crafty or subtle deception
3. skill; cleverness
4. a skilfully contrived device
5. obsolete craftsmanship
[C16: from Old French, from Latin artificium skill, from artifex one possessed of a specific skill, from ars skill + -fex, from facere to make]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
ar•ti•fice
(ˈɑr tə fɪs)n.
1. a clever trick or stratagem.
2. trickery; guile; craftiness.
3. cleverness; ingenuity.
4. a skillful or artful contrivance or expedient.
[1525–35; < Anglo-French < Latin artificium craftsmanship, art, craftiness]
syn: See trick.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
artifice
1. skill, ingenuity, or craftiness.
2. Obsolete, the command of a learned trade or skill.
See also: Skill and Craft2. Obsolete, the command of a learned trade or skill.
-Ologies & -Isms. Copyright 2008 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
| Noun | 1. |  artifice - a deceptive maneuver (especially to avoid capture) |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
artifice
noun
1. cunning, scheming, trick, device, craft, tactic, manoeuvre, deception, hoax, expedient, ruse, guile, trickery, duplicity, subterfuge, stratagem, contrivance, chicanery, wile, craftiness, artfulness, slyness, machination His photographs are full of artifice.
2. cleverness, skill, facility, invention, ingenuity, finesse, inventiveness, deftness, adroitness a combination of theatrical artifice and dazzling cinematic movement
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
artifice
noun1. An indirect, usually cunning means of gaining an end:
deception, device, dodge, feint, gimmick, imposture, jig, maneuver, ploy, ruse, sleight, stratagem, subterfuge, trick, wile.
Informal: shenanigan, take-in.
2. Deceitful cleverness:
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
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