n.
Pronunciation: ' är-t ə -f ə s
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle French, from Latin artificium, from artific-, artifex artificer, from Latin art-, ars + facere
Date: circa 1604
1 a : clever or artful skill : INGENUITY <believing that characters had to be created from within rather than with artifice ― Garson Kanin> b : an ingenious device or expedient
2 a : an artful stratagem : TRICK b : false or insincere behavior <social artifice >
synonyms see TRICK , ART