artifice

/ˈɑː(ɹ)tɪfɪs/

Etymology

From Middle French artifice, from Latin artificium.

artifice means A crafty but underhanded deception. Lexicurio rates it Rare gem — a strength score of 78 out of 100.

Why this word is great

ARTIFICE — [Noun] A clever and often deceptive trick or device, especially one used to gain an advantage. From Middle French artifice, from Latin artificium ("a profession, trade; craftsmanship; cunning"), from artifex ("craftsman, artist"), from ars ("art") and -fex ("maker"). Unlike "artlessness," which denotes a guileless simplicity, or "candor," which is forthright honesty, artifice is the elegant deployment of craft for strategic illusion. It is the impeccably painted backdrop that passes for sky, the diplomat's carefully parsed statement, and the meticulously engineered "spontaneity" of a social media post—a testament to the human talent for building a more advantageous reality, proving the most convincing surfaces are those most meticulously made.

noun

A crafty but underhanded deception.“The notion that consequence can be as easily managed as PR is the ultimate artifice and the ultimate delusion.”
A trick played out as an ingenious, but artful, ruse.“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.”
A strategic maneuver that uses some clever means to avoid detection or capture.
A tactical move to gain advantage.
Something made with technical skill; a contrivance.

verb

To construct by means of skill or specialised art“The Creator has so cunningly endowed our bodies that there is no labor to be done, no skill in artificing or fashioning the metals, that is beyond our reach.”