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DictionaryartificeClever trickery
noun

artifice

AR-tih-fis/ˈɑːrtɪfɪs/

Clever invention or contrivance.

The magician uses artifice to make a silk scarf appear.

A stage magician uses a hidden false-bottom box to make a silk scarf appear, cutaway reveals concealed compartment and clever deception, no text.
Etymology
artiLatinart, skill, craft
+ficeLatinto make, do

Making something with skill originally meant workmanship or craft. Artifice shifted toward a deliberately crafted trick, turning the idea of skilled making into clever deception.

In context

Why It's Great6:32
the artifice of the film itself david fincher using every facet of movie magic he can muster uses deft digital trickery
MANK EXPLAINED: The Artifice of Display

More examples

  • The garden blends natural beauty with the artifice of careful design.
  • She sees through his artifice and refuses to sign.
  • Architectural artifice makes the narrow room seem spacious.

Forms

artifice · artifices

Similar words

trickery
Emphasizes dishonest tricks rather than the skill behind them.
deception
Covers any misleading act, whether clever or not.
ruse
Names a particular deceptive plan rather than trickery generally.