Artifice

Definitions

1. A crafty but underhanded deception.
   countable, uncountable
2. A trick played out as an ingenious, but artful, ruse.
   countable, uncountable
3. A strategic maneuver that uses some clever means to avoid detection or capture.
   countable, uncountable
4. A tactical move to gain advantage.
   countable, uncountable
5. Something made with technical skill; a contrivance.
   archaic, countable, uncountable

Equivalents

Examples

“The notion that consequence can be as easily managed as PR is the ultimate artifice and the ultimate delusion.”

“The heightened worlds of darkly comedic satire and soapy high-school romance make⟳ it easy enough to roll with unrealistic casting choices—and that goes for stage⟳ musicals, too, where some level of artifice is built into the format.”

CEFR level