artful

CEFRC2

/ˈɑːtf(ʊ)l/

adjective

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    adjective

    Cleverly planned or made, sometimes in a dishonest way.

  2. 02

    adjective

    Extra detail

    Exhibiting or using much art or skill; dexterous; skilful.

Examples

  • She created an artful arrangement of flowers.

  • The artful design won a prestigious award.

At a glance

Sits at C2 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
1
Citations
5
Synonyms
5

Deep Dive

adjective

Extra meanings

  1. Not naturally produced; artificial; imitative.

  2. Characterized by, or performed with, cleverness or contrivance; clever, ingenious.

  3. Skilful at using dishonest or unfair means to achieve a purpose; crafty, cunning.

More examples

In context

  • The politician gave an artful response to the journalist's difficult question.

  • The nights ſtrange proſpects, made to feede the eyes; / With Artfull fyres, mounted in the skies: / Graced with horred claps of ſulphury thunders; / May make your mind, Iehouahs greater wonders.

  • The doctrine that we can discover facts, detect the hidden processes of nature, by an artful manipulation of language, is so contrary to common sense, that a person must have made some advances in philosophy to believe it; […]

Synonyms

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The blank design of the vase impressed everyone with its intricate patterns.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

adjective

From art (“skill that is attained by study, practice, or observation”) + -ful (suffix forming adjectives from nouns, with the sense of being full of, tending to, or thoroughly possessing the quality expressed by the noun).