adjective

artful

artful, skillful, cunning, crafty

He gave an artful reply to the difficult question.

He gave an artful reply to the difficult question.

The artful design of the chair was impressive.

The artful design of the chair was impressive.

((an artful sth.)) clever and skillful, often in a cunning way He gave an artful reply.

((sb. is artful)) (sb.) is clever and skillful He is very artful in his negotiations.

Synonyms: cunning, crafty, clever, skillful; Antonyms: artless, naive

From 'art' + '-ful' (full of). Meaning 'full of skill or cunning'.

Remember it as 'full of art'. This can be positive (skillful) or negative (clever at deceiving people).

This page is designed for learning support. Please use it as a learning reference, not as a formal reference.