Fromart(“skill that is attained by study, practice, or observation”) +-ful(suffix formingadjectives fromnouns, with the sense of being full of, tending to, or thoroughly possessing the quality expressed by the noun).[1]
artful (comparativemoreartful,superlativemostartful)
- Characterized by, orperformed with,cleverness orcontrivance;clever,ingenious.
1613 (indicated as1612),George Wither, “Epithalamion”, inEpithalamia: or, Nuptiall Poems upon the Most Blessed and Happie Mariage betweene the High and Mightie PrinceFrederick the Fifth, Count Palatine of the Rhein, Duke of Bauier, &c., And the Most Vertuous, Gracious and Thrice Excellent Princesse,Elizabeth, Sole Daughter to Our Dread Soueraigne,Iames by the Grace of God King of Great Britaine, France and Ireland, Defender of the Faith, &c.; Celebrated at White-Hall the Fourteenth of Februarie, 1613, London: […] [F. Kingston] for Edward Marchant, […],→OCLC:Thenights ſtrange proſpects, made to feede the eyes; / WithArtfull fyres, mounted in the skies: / Graced with horred claps of ſulphury thunders; / May make your mind,Iehouahs greater wonders.- A description of fireworks.
1843, John Stuart Mill, “The Same Subject Continued[Of Demonstration, and Necessary Truths]”, inA System of Logic, Ratiocinative and Inductive, being a Connected View of the Principles of Evidence, and the Methods of Scientific Investigation. […], volume I, London:John W[illiam] Parker, […],→OCLC,§ 2,page331:The doctrine that we can discover facts, detect the hidden processes of nature, by anartful manipulation of language, is so contrary to common sense, that a person must have made some advances in philosophy to believe it;[…]
- Notnaturallyproduced;artificial;imitative.
1609,Tho[mas] Heywood, “Canto. 8.”, inTroia Britanica: Or, Great Britaines Troy. […], London: […] W[illiam] Iaggard,→OCLC, stanza 16,page173:Some of thisArtfull coulour now I want, / VVhich from the Muſes I deſire to borrow, / In MelanchollyPriam to diſpaint / The perfect Image and true face of Sorrow,[…]
1707,[Joseph Addison],Rosamond. An Opera. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […],→OCLC, Act II, scene i,page15:But oh! vvith Noon-day Heats oppreſs'd, / My aking Temples call for Reſt! / In yon cool Grotto'sartful Night / Refreſhing Slumbers I'll invite,[…]
1847,R[alph] W[aldo] Emerson, “Merlin. I.”, inPoems, Boston, Mass.: James Munroe and Company,→OCLC,pages180–181:The kingly bard / Must smite the chords rudely and hard, / As with hammer or with mace; / That they may render back /Artful thunder, which conveys / Secrets of the solar track, / Sparks of the supersolar blaze.
- Exhibiting orusing muchart orskill;dexterous;skilful.
- Synonym:adroit
1605 (first performance), Beniamin Ionson [i.e.,Ben Jonson], “Volpone, or The Foxe. A Comœdie. […]”, inThe Workes of Beniamin Ionson (First Folio), London: […] Will[iam] Stansby, published1616,→OCLC, Act III, scene vii,page490:[W]e, in changed ſhapes, actOvid's tales, /[…] / Then vvill I haue thee in more moderne formes, / Attired like ſome ſprightly dame ofFrance, / BraueTuſcan lady, or proudSpaniſh beauty; / Sometimes, vnto thePerſian Sophies vvife; / Or the grand-Signiors miſtreſſe; and, for change, / To one of our moſtart-full courtizans,[…]
1608,[Guillaume de Salluste] Du Bartas, “[Du Bartas His First VVeek, or Birth of the VVorld: […].] The Sixt Daie of the First VVeek.”, inJosuah Sylvester, transl.,Du Bartas His Deuine Weekes and Workes […], 3rd edition, London: […] Humfrey Lownes[and are to be sold by Arthur Iohnson […]], published1611,→OCLC,page149:VVhat ſtrength of arm, orArt-full ſtratagem, / FromNile’s fell Rover could deliver them, / VVho runs, and rovves, vvarring by Land and VVater / 'Gainſt Men and Fiſhes, ſubiect to his ſlaughter?- A reference to the crocodile.
1634 October 9 (first performance), [John Milton], edited byH[enry] Lawes,A Maske Presented at Ludlow Castle, 1634: […] [Comus], London: […] [Augustine Matthews] forHvmphrey Robinson, […], published1637,→OCLC; reprinted asComus: […] (Dodd, Mead & Company’s Facsimile Reprints of Rare Books; Literature Series; no. I), New York, N.Y.:Dodd, Mead & Company,1903,→OCLC,page17:Spir[it]. VVhat voice is that, my yong Lord? ſpeak agen.[…]Eld[er]bro[ther].Thyrſis? vvhoſeartfull ſtrains have oft delayed / The huddling brook to heare his madrigale, / And ſvveeten'd every muskroſe of the dale,[…]
1718,Homer, translated byAlexander Pope, “Book XIV”, inThe Iliad of Homer, volume IV, London: […] W[illiam] Bowyer, forBernard Lintott […],→OCLC,page102, lines204–206:Herartful Hands the radiant Treſſes ty'd; / Part on her Head in ſhining Ringlets roll'd, / Part o'er her Shoulders vvav'd like melted Gold.
1841 February–November,Charles Dickens, “Barnaby Rudge. Chapter 74.”, inMaster Humphrey’s Clock, volume III, London:Chapman & Hall, […],→OCLC,page371:His warming on this topic, which to one unacquainted with his pursuits and tastes appeared like courage; together with hisartful suppression of his own secret hopes, and mention of himself as being in the same condition with Hugh; did more to soothe that ruffian than the most elaborate arguments could have done, or the most abject submission.
1906 April,O. Henry [pseudonym; William Sydney Porter], “After Twenty Years”, inThe Four Million, New York, N.Y.:McClure, Phillips & Co,→OCLC,page214:The policeman on the beat moved up the avenue impressively.[…] Trying doors as he went, twirling his club with many intricate andartful movements, turning now and then to cast his watchful eye adown the pacific thoroughfare, the officer, with his stalwart form and slight swagger, made a fine picture of a guardian of the peace.
- (especially) Skilful at usingdishonest orunfairmeans toachieve apurpose;crafty,cunning.
- Synonyms:deceitful,underhand;see alsoThesaurus:wily
1843 December 19,Charles Dickens, “Stave Three. The Second of the Three Spirits.”, inA Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas, London:Chapman & Hall, […],→OCLC,pages100–101:Here, again, were shadows on the window-blind of guests assembling; and there a group of handsome girls, all hooded and fur-booted, and all chattering at once, tripped lightly off to some near neighbour's house; where, wo upon the single man who saw them enter—artful witches: well they knew it—in a glow!
1864 May –1865 November,Charles Dickens, “The Golden Dustman at His Worst”, inOur Mutual Friend. […], volume II, London:Chapman and Hall, […], published1865,→OCLC, book the third (A Long Lane),page134:"Now, this is a veryartful dog," said Mr. Boffin, with a deep look. "This is a longer-headed schemer than I thought him.["]
1904 November,O. Henry [pseudonym; William Sydney Porter], “The Remnants of the Code”, inCabbages and Kings, New York, N.Y.:McClure, Phillips & Co.,page212:But now he was little more than a whimpering oyster led to be devoured on the sands of a Southern sea by theartful walrus, Circumstance, and the implacable carpenter, Fate.
2012 June 29, Kevin Mitchell, “Roger Federer back from Wimbledon 2012 brink to beat Julien Benneteau”, inAlan Rusbridger, editor,The Guardian[1], London:Guardian News & Media,→ISSN,→OCLC, archived fromthe original on15 November 2016:Where the Czech upstart[Lukáš] Rosol, ranked 100 in the world, all but blew[Rafael] Nadal's head off with his blunderbuss in a fifth set of unrivalled intensity on Thursday night,[Julien] Benneteau, a moreartful 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.
- (obsolete)Knowledgeable about theliberal arts;learned,wise.
characterized by, or performed with, cleverness or contrivance
—seeingeniousskilful at using dishonest or unfair means to achieve a purpose
—see alsocrafty,
cunningTranslations to be checked
, Oxford:Oxford University Press, December 2021;“artful,adj.”, inLexico,Dictionary.com;Oxford University Press,2019–2022.