Artful

Art′ful

,

Adj.

[From

Art

.]

1.

Performed with, or characterized by, art or skill.

[Archaic]

“Artful strains.” “Artful terms.”

Milton.

2.

Artificial; imitative.

Addison.

3.

Using or exhibiting much art, skill, or contrivance; dexterous; skillful.

He [was] too

artful

a writer to set down events in exact historical order.

Dryden.

4.

Cunning; disposed to cunning indirectness of dealing; crafty;

as, an

artful

boy

. [The usual sense.]

Artful

in speech, in action, and in mind.

Pope.

The

artful

revenge of various animals.

Darwin.

Syn. – Cunning; skillful; adroit; dexterous; crafty; tricky; deceitful; designing. See

Cunning

.

Artful

ARTFUL

,

Adj.

[See Art.

1.

Performed with art or skill.

2.

Artificial, as opposed to natural

3.

Cunning; practicing art, or stratagem; crafty; as an artful boy. [This is the most usual sense.]

4.

Proceeding from art or craft; as an artful scheme.

artful

English

Alternative forms

artfull (obsolete)

Adjective

artful ‎(comparative more artful, superlative most artful)

Performed with, or characterized by, art or skill.
Artificial; imitative.
Using or exhibiting much art, skill, or contrivance; dexterous; skillful.
Cunning; disposed to cunning indirectness of dealing; crafty; as, an artful boy. [The usual sense.]
- 2012 June 29, Kevin Mitchell, “Roger Federer back from Wimbledon 2012 brink to beat Julien Benneteau”, in the Guardian:
  Where the Czech upstart Rosol, ranked 100 in the world, all but blew Nadal's head off with his blunderbuss in a fifth set of unrivalled intensity on Thursday night, Benneteau, a more artful citizen, used a rapier to hurt his vaunted foe before falling just short of a kill. In the end, it was he who staggered from the scene of the fight.