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Learn to pronounce ar·ti·fice

/ˈärdəfəs/
noun
clever or cunning devices or expedients, especially as used to trick or deceive others.
"the style is not free from the artifices of the period"
synonyms: trickery, deviousness, deceit, deception, dishonesty, cheating, duplicity, guile, cunning, artfulness, wiliness, craft, craftiness, evasion, slyness, chicanery, intrigue, subterfuge, strategy, bluff, pretense, fraud, fraudulence, sophistry, sharp practice, monkey business, funny business, hanky-panky, jiggery-pokery, every trick in the book, device, trick, stratagem, ploy, tactic, ruse, scheme, move, maneuver, contrivance, machination, expedient, wile, dodge, swindle, hoax, confidence trick, con, con trick, setup, game, scam, sting, flimflam, wheeze, bunco, grift, lurk, rort, schlenter, flanker, shift, fetch, rig

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art, skill, cunning, artifice, craft mean the faculty of executing well what one has devised. art implies a personal, unanalyzable creative power.
(the use of) a clever trick or something intended to deceive: Amazingly for Hollywood, she seems almost entirely without artifice.
noun · a clever trick or stratagem; a cunning, crafty device or expedient; wile. Synonyms: subterfuge · trickery; guile; craftiness. Synonyms: duplicity, art, ...
If a politician pretends to be angry as a way of rousing the anger of the voters and getting more votes, he's guilty of artifice — a subtle and crafty trick.
artifice in British English · 1. a clever expedient; ingenious stratagem · 2. crafty or subtle deception · 3. skill; cleverness · 4. a skilfully contrived ...
: dishonest or insincere behavior or speech that is meant to deceive someone. [noncount]
Something contrived or made up to achieve an end, especially by deceiving; a stratagem or ruse. American Heritage.
2. a. Cleverness or ingenuity in making or doing something; art or skill: "Literary artifice is the only means that a writer has at his disposal. How else can ...
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What does the verb artifice mean? There is one meaning in OED's entry for the verb artifice. See 'Meaning & use' for definition, usage, and quotation evidence.
Noun. artifice (countable and uncountable, plural artifices) A crafty but underhanded deception. A trick played out as an ingenious, but artful, ruse.