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
Examples Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for artfulness
Noun
-
There’s an unapologetic cunning at the heart of this series, and a mercurial spirit that’s as slippery as blood on an Italian marble floor.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
4 Apr. 2024 -
Just as Nordlinger shows that the peacemakers and Nobel laureates whose work holds up best are those who brought specific conflicts to an end, the organizations in Bob's account that get the most done are those that pursue limited goals with cunning and patience.—
Walter Russell Mead,
Foreign Affairs,
1 Nov. 2012
Noun
-
The problem with that approach is Volpe doesn’t have the elite bat-to-ball skills that Arráez and Kwan possess, so much of the shortstop’s success was predicated on BABIP luck.—
Chris Kirschner,
The Athletic,
20 Jan. 2025
-
Should be a conceptual thinker with strategic and problem-solving skills.—
Terina Allen,
Forbes,
20 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
At first glance, the fairytale village of Saanen appears frozen in time, yet its dynamic appeal lies in its subtlety.—
Monica Mendal,
Vogue,
23 Jan. 2025
-
McLaurin stood up and shrugged his shoulders -- not flashily like Michael Jordan, but with his own subtlety.—
Sam Fortier The Washington Post,
arkansasonline.com,
23 Jan. 2025
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.
Thesaurus Entries Near artfulness
Cite this Entry
“Artfulness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/artfulness. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share