artful

[ ahrt-fuh l ]

/ ˈɑrt fəl /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR artful ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

slyly crafty or cunning; deceitful; tricky: artful schemes.

skillful or clever in adapting means to ends; ingenious: an artful choice of metaphors and similes.

done with or characterized by art or skill: artful acting; artful repairs.

Archaic. artificial.

Nearby words

artesia, artesian, artesian well, arteveld, artex, artful, arthr-, arthralgia, arthrectomy, arthritic, arthritic general pseudoparalysis

Origin of artful

First recorded in 1605–15; art¹ + -ful

Related forms

art·ful·ly, adverbart·ful·ness, nounun·art·ful, adjectiveun·art·ful·ly, adverb

un·art·ful·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for artful

Free from strict rules, Japanese distillers are making innovative, artful concoctions.
Watch Out, Scotland! Japanese Whisky Is on the Rise|Kayleigh Kulp|November 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
All this artful excess seems intended to disorient and disinhibit guests descending from the busy theater district above.
Interactive Play ‘Queen of the Night’ Opens at Restored Diamond Horseshoe Club|Brian Spitulnik|December 31, 2013|DAILY BEAST
With her artful fusion of fact and fiction, Phillips pulls off a rare sense of lightness and grace at the end of the novel.
Murder, She Wrote: Jayne Anne Phillips on Her New Novel|Jane Ciabattari|October 21, 2013|DAILY BEAST
If adapted for the stage, this novel would make an artful, off-Broadway monologue.
This Week’s Hot Reads: Sept. 2, 2013|Damaris Colhoun|September 2, 2013|DAILY BEAST

Luckily, the French are artful dodgers and have found ways around the tough legislation.
Smoking Ban? Here's Where Cigarettes Are Still Allowed|Abby Haglage|February 21, 2013|DAILY BEAST
To dive into his clothing was a process facilitated by many an artful dodge.
King of Ranleigh|F. S. (Frederick Sadlier) Brereton
That artful girl soon discovered what had escaped her mistress's observation.
A Terrible Temptation|Charles Reade
Whereupon he began perforce playing his old game of artful dodging, exercising his best powers as a hopper and skipper.
A Reversible Santa Claus|Meredith Nicholson
His own scores reveal him as the most artful of 'artless' composers.
Marse Henry (Vol. 2)|Henry Watterson
She is artful but not intelligent, least of all about herself.
Soliloquies in England|George Santayana

British Dictionary definitions for artful

artful

/ (ˈɑːtfʊl) /

adjective

cunning or tricky

skilful in achieving a desired end

archaic characterized by skill or art

archaic artificial

Derived Forms

artfully, adverbartfulness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012