artful
artful Lexical Profile
artful Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Clever or skillful, especially in achieving a goal through indirect, sly, or deceitful means.
"Through artful questioning, the journalist persuaded the reluctant official to reveal the details of the agreement."
Executed with or exhibiting high creative skill, elegance, and taste.
"The chef was praised for the artful arrangement of seasonal vegetables on the platter."
Word Nuance & Usage
Do not confuse 'artful' with 'artistic'; 'artful' usually means clever, cunning, or skillfully crafted, whereas 'artistic' relates to fine art or aesthetic sensibility. Similarly, its opposite 'artless' means natural, sincere, and free of guile, rather than lacking artistic talent.
• Rhymes for artful
Word Origin & Etymology
Formed in the late 16th century from the noun 'art' (from Latin 'ars', meaning skill or craft) and the Old English suffix '-ful'. Originally meaning 'learned in the liberal arts', it later shifted to denote both clever craftsmanship and wily cunning.