artifice

Meaning

Noun

1. (countable, uncountable) A crafty but underhanded deception.
2. (countable, uncountable) A trick played out as an ingenious, but artful, ruse.
3. (countable, uncountable) A strategic maneuver that uses some clever means to avoid detection or capture.
4. (countable, uncountable) A tactical move to gain advantage.
5. (archaic, countable, uncountable) Something made with technical skill; a contrivance.

Verb

To construct by means of skill or specialised art

Synonyms

trick

stratagem

ruse

wile

cunning

finesse

wiles

craft

trickery

strategy

contrivance

subterfuge

device

tactics

maneuver

intrigue

deception

plot

expedient

plan

deceit

ploy

means

jugglery

craftiness

machination

guile

manoeuvre

catch

pretence

scheme

chicanery

dodge

feint

foxiness

tact

artificiality

ingenuity

wiliness

artfulness

ingenious device

ruff

affectedness

art

🎨

artful

bluff

claptrap

con game

conjuration

contraption

Translations

artifice

artificio

ruse

artificio

stratagème

List

Kunstgriff

τέχνασμα

artifício

artimanha

list

πανουργία

Intrige

hile

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈɑː(ɹ)tɪfɪs/

Etymology

From Middle French artifice, from Latin artificium.