artful
/ˈɑːtfʊl
/ /ˈɑːtf(ə)l/adjective
1Clever or skilful, especially in a crafty or cunning way: her artful wiles...
- It is based on the observation that with a sufficient amount of clever handwaving and artful verbiage, you can interpret any piece of writing as a statement about anything at all.
- United and Arsenal both discovered to their cost just how artful and ruthless this double act can be.
- They were led into this cul-de-sac by the champion of artful deception, Bill Clinton.
Synonyms
sly, crafty, cunning, wily, scheming, devious, Machiavellian, sneaky, guileful, tricky, conniving, designing, calculating;
shrewd, astute, sharp-witted, sharp, acute, intelligent, clever, alert, canny;
deceitful, deceptive, duplicitous, cheating, dishonest, disingenuous, underhand, untrustworthy, unscrupulous, double-dealing
informal dirty, foxy, shifty, smart
British informal fly
Australian/New Zealand informal shonky
South African informal slim
rare vulpine, carny, subtle
2Showing creative skill or taste: an artful photograph of a striking woman...
- In the hands of a creative photographer, an artful landscape can be made of any subject from a New England farm to an Inca ruin in Peru.
- It's artful and creative - gutsy even - but at no point did you get the feeling that these were battles of life and death.
- To adapt, change, or develop requires incorporating the spirit and artful skills of communication into every step of a plan.
Derivatives
artfulness
/ noun ...- Those that knew Levis as a friend, colleague, or teacher sometimes found it puzzling to try to reconcile the good humor, whimsy, and carelessness of the man with the artfulness, erudition, cunning, and darkness of his poetry.
- The Polaroid is a social product and ultimately generic, yet as a medium it possesses an aesthetic quality that is chosen by its user, bringing artfulness to the realm of consumer photography.
- These are questions that the Macalester community frequently asks, although rarely with such artfulness.