artfulness

noun

Definition of artfulnessnext
1
as in cunning
skill in achieving one's ends through indirect, subtle, or underhanded means with well-practiced artfulness, he convinced his mother he was sick enough to stay home from school but not sick enough for a visit to the doctor's office

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in skill
subtle or imaginative ability in inventing, devising, or executing something building a ship model requires a painstaking artfulness I don't have

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for artfulness
  1. cunning
  2. skill
  3. subtlety
Noun
  • Joey Merlo’s cunning, captivating On Set With Theda Bara first lit its murky lights at the Brick a year ago — and now, in a heartening example of institutional collaboration, the Transport Group and the Lucille Lortel Theatre have pitched in as presenters to bring it back for an encore performance.
    — Sara Holdren, Vulture, 14 Feb. 2024
  • For Mirren, the cunning and cruelty of Whitfield is a timely example of power corrupting absolutely.
    — Hunter Ingram, Variety, 23 Feb. 2025
Definition of cunning
Noun
  • Meghan Markle may host a series that shows off her skills in the kitchen, but apparently her husband Prince Harry isn’t a bad cook, either.
    — Erin Hill, People.com, 9 Mar. 2025
  • With the rise of the gig economy and digital platforms, turning your existing skills into a profitable side hustle has never been easier, or more necessary.
    — Melissa Houston, Forbes, 9 Mar. 2025
Definition of skill
Noun
  • The script sounds like it was written with underlines for emphasis and no subtlety.
    — Murtada Elfadl, Variety, 8 Mar. 2025
  • In an era of rampant method dressing, Moore and her longtime stylist Brad Goreski ran a masterclass in subtlety.
    — Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 1 Mar. 2025
Definition of subtlety
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

artfulness
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Artfulness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/artfulness. Accessed 19 Mar. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

More Commonly Misspelled Words

Words You Always Have to Look Up
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

13 Unusually Long English Words

9 Superb Owl Words

More Words with Remarkable Origins

Terroir, Oenophile, & Magnum: Ten Words About Wine

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments
See More

Popular Features

See More

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

13 Unusually Long English Words

9 Superb Owl Words
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
number-twelve-balloon
12-Letter Words Quiz A dozen words, a dozen letters each.
See All