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
Noun
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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
Noun
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Isabel De Vries, Leetcode Wizard’s head of marketing, told CNBC in a statement that Leetcode-style interviews fail to accurately measure engineering skills and fail to reflect actual daily engineering work.—
Jennifer Elias,
CNBC,
9 Mar. 2025
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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
Noun
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Along with the basics, Snow is guiding Eldridge on the subtleties of the position: bunts, relays, cutoffs, positioning.—
Justice delos Santos,
The Mercury News,
25 Feb. 2025
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The coach’s delivery came with all the subtlety of a jackhammer.—
Nick Kosmider,
The Athletic,
24 Feb. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Artfulness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/artfulness. Accessed 16 Mar. 2025.
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