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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of artful
Simply artful arrange your fruit of choice and bake away.
—
Alana Al-Hatlani, Southern Living, 1 Mar. 2025
From an artful Austin home to a colorful mountain retreat in Montana, Chupik and her team make each space unique and timeless.
—Dan Howarth, Architectural Digest, 25 Feb. 2025
Erdem’s artful show was fittingly staged at The British Museum.
—Tianwei Zhang, WWD, 25 Feb. 2025
Brady’s movies exude showmanship at its most artful — worlds containing multitudes, and among those multitudes, singular people carrying the weight of the world on their shoulders like the Greek Titan Atlas.
—Natalie Portman, Deadline, 17 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for artful
Alana Al-Hatlani, Southern Living, 1 Mar. 2025
From an artful Austin home to a colorful mountain retreat in Montana, Chupik and her team make each space unique and timeless.
—Dan Howarth, Architectural Digest, 25 Feb. 2025
Erdem’s artful show was fittingly staged at The British Museum.
—Tianwei Zhang, WWD, 25 Feb. 2025
Brady’s movies exude showmanship at its most artful — worlds containing multitudes, and among those multitudes, singular people carrying the weight of the world on their shoulders like the Greek Titan Atlas.
—Natalie Portman, Deadline, 17 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for artful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for artful
Adjective
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Michael Douglas — Wall Street (1987) Gordon Gekko is a cunning and unscrupulous corporate predator who crystallized the Reagan-era ethos into three words.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
2 Mar. 2025
-
Gilded by privilege and cunning, Glinda (Ariana Grande) is a popular young woman who desires to wield magic.—
Destiny Jackson,
Deadline,
2 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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There’s also the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame, the John Wayne Birthplace & Museum, inventive restaurants, luxury hotels, and one-of-a-kind boutiques (design a custom pair of boots at the first Lucchese Custom Collection store).—
Sophie-Claire Hoeller,
Vogue,
21 Mar. 2025
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The eclectic sounds of Larkin Poe served as a perfect lead-in for Stephen Wilson Jr., the singer, songwriter, and inventive guitarist who has been steadily building an audience for the past two years with his 2023 album Son of Dad.—
Rolling Stone,
Rolling Stone,
21 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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His rapping has a frail, slithering quality; his vocal tone morphs between cute squeakiness and ragged rottweiler growls.—
Spencer Kornhaber,
The Atlantic,
21 Mar. 2025
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This Mainstays set accomplishes both goals and is so cute for summer.—
Megan Schaltegger,
Travel + Leisure,
21 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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This rapid cycle reduces costs, and allows clever businesses to be the first to market trends and consumer feedback updates.—
Haokun Qin,
Forbes,
17 Mar. 2025
-
Classical methods of solving these problems, which often involve churning through possible solutions in clever ways, quickly become untenable.—
Stephen Ornes,
Quanta Magazine,
17 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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His non-fiction book The Onion Field, published in 1973, would stand as, arguably, his literary masterpiece, a skillful telling of the true tale of a 1963 kidnapping of two LAPD officers and the brutal murder of one of them.—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
28 Feb. 2025
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Hackman tamped down all of his gritty charm to embody a squirrely surveillance expert, again showcasing a skillful adaptability early in his career.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
27 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Of course, artists such as Mondrian and Klimt would likely not have been aware of fractals, or the math that underpins them, but perhaps had an innate understanding of the subtle proportions all trees share, according to the researchers.—
Katie Hunt,
CNN,
14 Mar. 2025
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Once the foot is under the ball and has left the ground, a subtle flick of the ankle sends it forward to create the dipping motion that will bring it back down quickly.—
Jordan Campbell,
The Athletic,
14 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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He probably is best described as a pragmatic progressive, given his decision to compromise on the stadium and also his support for Evanston’s innovative approach to the question of reparations for its Black residents.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
16 Mar. 2025
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Some innovative companies are encouraging a turnaround for employees to mix vacations with business, because the blended vacation trend is a retention perk, work stress reducer and production motivator.—
Bryan Robinson,
Forbes,
16 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Bernstein, an outspoken American Jewish conductor renowned for iconic compositions like West Side Story and Candide, was widely admired for his artistic genius and fervent political activism, including marching with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr during the 1960s.—
Court Stroud,
Forbes,
16 Mar. 2025
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But the types of artistic mediums that the series uses to portray Lumon varies and evolves, as the company itself finds new opportunities to convey its message to employees.—
Abigail Lee,
Variety,
15 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Artful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/artful. Accessed 26 Mar. 2025.
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