artifice
clever or cunning trickery to deceive
Word origin: From Latin artificium, craftsmanship (ars art plus facere to make).
Artifice in a sentence
Here are example sentences showing artifice in a sentence.
The magician's act relied entirely on artifice and misdirection.
Beneath the painting's apparent spontaneity lay careful artifice, every brushstroke deliberately placed.
Using “artifice” well
Artifice denotes clever, often deceptive contrivance, carrying a connotation of trickery or studied artificiality. It can describe both cunning deceit and skillful, calculated craft.
More GRE words starting with A
to lower in rank, dignity, or self-respect
to make someone feel embarrassed or ashamed
to lessen in intensity or amount
to formally give up power or responsibility
departing from what is normal or expected
a departure from what is normal, usual, or expected
a state of temporary suspension or inactivity
to regard with strong disgust or hatred
Questions about “artifice”
See these words the way the GRE tests them.
Definitions in isolation do not stick. Sit a free, full-length GRE mock and meet this vocabulary inside real text completion and sentence equivalence questions, with your score and a worked solution for every answer.