artful
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.
Origin of artful
1Other words from artful
- art·ful·ly, adverb
- art·ful·ness, noun
- un·art·ful, adjective
- un·art·ful·ly, adverb
- un·art·ful·ness, noun
Words Nearby artful
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use artful in a sentence
Of course, the incendiary vulgarity of the past four years set the bar so low that anything more than a monster truck exhibition might have seemed artful.
America yearns for an era of good feeling. The inaugural ceremony launched one. | Peter Marks | January 20, 2021 | Washington PostAlabama advances to the national title game with an artful offensive performanceTo that small list of the rare cities and towns that wind up sending sons to the lectern at the Heisman Trophy presentation, do add Amite, which carries a distinction.
Heisman winner DeVonta Smith puts tiny town of Amite City in the spotlight | Chuck Culpepper | January 7, 2021 | Washington PostThe trendy practice of not cutting back the remnant top growth of certain grasses and perennials at season’s end is one I favor, though a little grooming will make the scene more artful and less scruffy.
Climate change has altered the winter season and the gardener’s sense of it | Adrian Higgins | January 6, 2021 | Washington PostIn the video, the campaign uses another artful clip to back up the claim that Warnock “celebrated anti-American hatred.”
Loeffler’s bogus claim that Warnock ‘celebrated anti-American hatred’ | Glenn Kessler | December 3, 2020 | Washington PostInstead of dropping a slab and a knife on a plate and calling it a day, opt to mold that delicious spread into artful rounds.
Gifts to make eating at home feel like dining out | Corinne Iozzio | November 23, 2020 | Popular-Science
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 | THE DAILY BEASTHe was as striking in person as he is on screen—thin, white v-neck t-shirt, two-day scruff, artful bedhead.
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 | THE DAILY BEASTWith 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 | THE DAILY BEASTFor this ensemble, Britney matched silky black pants with an artful, geometric corset.
The culture of expression is a very different thing from the artful imitation of the signs of feeling and purpose.
Expressive Voice Culture | Jessie Eldridge SouthwickTommy Chitling hasnt won the point, and I went partners with him against the artful and dum.
Oliver Twist, Vol. II (of 3) | Charles DickensEven the roofs of the houses bristle with pigeon-lofts and artful-looking structures for the capture of wandering birds.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume II (of 3) | Charles James WillsThey stood convicted of ignorance, to which all his artful and subtle questions tended, and which it was his aim to prove.
Beacon Lights of History, Volume I | John LordIt is so quaint and airy, simple, artful, and eloquent to the heart—but I seek words in vain.
The Works of Robert Louis Stevenson - Swanston Edition Vol. 25 (of 25) | Robert Louis Stevenson
British Dictionary definitions for artful
/ (ˈɑːtfʊl) /
cunning or tricky
skilful in achieving a desired end
archaic characterized by skill or art
archaic artificial
Derived forms of artful
- artfully, adverb
- artfulness, 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
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