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
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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
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Recent Examples of artfulness
Mike Bowman, designer, furniture industry expert, and director of marketing for Harmonia Living, says this trend relies on furnishings to bring artfulness to a space—rather than just functionality.
—
Patricia Shannon, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 Jan. 2026
There is a real seriousness to the score — the scheming bad-guy music has the artfulness of Prokofiev, and even the sneaking-around cues have musical integrity and structure.
—Tim Greiving, Vulture, 3 Sep. 2025
All things considered, each of the couple’s selections exudes artfulness — prioritizing top-quality design and materials meant to last a lifetime.
—Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2019
Patricia Shannon, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 Jan. 2026
There is a real seriousness to the score — the scheming bad-guy music has the artfulness of Prokofiev, and even the sneaking-around cues have musical integrity and structure.
—Tim Greiving, Vulture, 3 Sep. 2025
All things considered, each of the couple’s selections exudes artfulness — prioritizing top-quality design and materials meant to last a lifetime.
—Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for artfulness
Noun
-
Maybe the mere fact of having been born illustrious, with no apparent faults, with nothing to prove or to be ashamed of, had liberated John from the resentments the rest of us feel, and from the cunning and ambition such resentments fuel.—
Jeffrey Eugenides,
New Yorker,
4 Apr. 2026
-
The Brazil international combines technical craft with a decisive cunning.—
Carl Anka,
New York Times,
21 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Children ages 4-13 can hone their lightsaber skills and sip on non-alcoholic teal lemonade.—
Patrick Connolly,
The Orlando Sentinel,
30 Apr. 2026
-
These include performance overheads for complex tasks or workloads that need to be completed with low latency, as well as filling in skills gaps for software developers who have no FHE knowledge or experience.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
But whether this person galumphed, ambled, or dragged herself up the trail is a matter of what subtleties her movement suggested to you.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
1 May 2026
-
In an edition that was all about the subtleties of watchmaking, one had to keep their eyes peeled to get all the subtleties of what the exhibitors at Watches and Wonders packed into 40-something-millimeter formats.—
Lily Templeton,
Footwear News,
1 May 2026
Noun
-
Like the tricksters of myth, there’s depth to their slyness.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
5 Feb. 2026
-
Ay, the superb slyness of that last response!—
Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
8 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The real surprise comes from the subtleness of the rose.—
Katlyn Moncada,
Better Homes & Gardens,
17 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Artfulness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/artfulness. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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