artfulness
Sly creative maneuvering
Artfulness is skill in achieving one's ends, often through cunning or indirect means.
The word carries a whiff of deception—an artful person knows how to manipulate situations or people: She admired the artfulness of his argument, even as she distrusted it.
Artfulness can also mean creative skill or craftsmanship, though this sense is less common than the scheming one.
Sly, strategic dishonesty
- slynessCunning in manner
- craftinessShrewd, devious cleverness
- shrewdnessKeen practical judgment
- wilinessShrewd deceptive cleverness
scheming · manipulation · deviousness · foxiness · caginess · conniving · astuteness · wiles
Deliberate deception or fraud
- subterfugeDeliberate deception to conceal
- deceitDeliberate misleading of others
- duplicityDeliberate misleading behavior
- chicaneryDeception through clever manipulation
fraud · dishonesty · pretense · dissembling · misrepresentation · imposture · feint · ruse
Refined, graceful quality
- refinementElegance of manner
- sophisticationCultured elegance and complexity
- graceEffortless beauty of motion
- beautyAesthetic excellence
style · taste · finesse · polish · subtlety · delicacy · nuance · flair
Mental quickness and skill
- inventivenessCapacity for original creation
- resourcefulnessAbility to solve problems creatively
- creativityCapacity for original thought
- imaginationFaculty for forming ideas
originality · innovation · ingeniousness · quick-wittedness · problem-solving · improvisation · adaptability · brilliance
Complete skill or control
- dexteritySkillful hand coordination
- expertiseSkill from extensive practice
- proficiencySkilled performance level
- adroitnessSkillful ease in action
virtuosity · technique · craftsmanship · skillfulness · precision · execution · command · accomplishment
guile
Sly, strategic dishonesty
- slynessCunning in manner
- craftinessShrewd, devious cleverness
- shrewdnessKeen practical judgment
wiliness · scheming · manipulation · deviousness · foxiness · caginess · conniving · astuteness · wiles · stealth
trickery
Deliberate deception or fraud
- subterfugeDeliberate deception to conceal
- deceitDeliberate misleading of others
- duplicityDeliberate misleading behavior
chicanery · fraud · dishonesty · pretense · dissembling · misrepresentation · imposture · feint · ruse · stratagem
elegance
Refined, graceful quality
- refinementElegance of manner
- sophisticationCultured elegance and complexity
- graceEffortless beauty of motion
beauty · style · taste · finesse · polish · subtlety · delicacy · nuance · flair · panache
cleverness
Mental quickness and skill
- inventivenessCapacity for original creation
- resourcefulnessAbility to solve problems creatively
- creativityCapacity for original thought
imagination · originality · innovation · ingeniousness · quick-wittedness · problem-solving · improvisation · adaptability · brilliance · inspiration
mastery
Complete skill or control
- dexteritySkillful hand coordination
- expertiseSkill from extensive practice
- proficiencySkilled performance level
adroitness · virtuosity · technique · craftsmanship · skillfulness · precision · execution · command · accomplishment · prowess
- cunningcunning, craftiness, crafty, guile, slyness
- intellectintelligence, intellect, brainpower, mind, cognition
- mental sharpnessmental agility, mental clarity, mental focus, acumen, sharp mind
- refinementrefinement, elegance, sophistication, polish, taste
artfulnessclumsiness
Lack of physical grace
ineptitude · incompetence · awkwardness · maladroitness · ineptness
artfulnessartlessness
Sincere, unfeigned manner
guilelessness · ingenuousness · honesty · sincerity · candor
artfulnessnaivety
Innocent lack of experience
innocence · naïveté · unworldliness · simpleness · unsophistication
art, artist, artistic, artificial, artistry, artful, artisan, artifact, artists