What does "artifice" mean?
Artifice: Workmanship; a skillfully contrived work. The material universe.. in the artifice of God, the artifice of the best Mechanist. Cudworth.
Additional senses
- 2.Artful or skillful contrivance. His [Congreve's] plots were constructed without much artifice. Craik.
- 3.Crafty device; an artful, ingenious, or elaborate trick. Note: [Now the usual meaning.] Those who were conscious of guilt employed numerous artifices for the purpose of averting inquiry. Macaulay.
Sources
- Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).
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- Published: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00 · Modified: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00