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artifice — meaning in English

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English meaning

  • artifice noun A crafty but underhanded deception.
  • device noun A piece of equipment, especially electronic or mechanical, built to perform a specific job.
  • gimmick noun A clever trick, feature, or gadget used mainly to attract attention rather than add real value.

Senses

artifice is used for these senses in English:

  • artifice A crafty but underhanded deception.
  • device A project or scheme, often designed to deceive; a stratagem; an artifice. 1602, Shakespeare, The Merry Wives of Windsor. "This is our device,/ That Falstaff at that oak shall meet with us."
  • gimmick A ploy or strategy used to attract attention or gain traction.

artifice — full definition

  1. noun A crafty but underhanded deception.
  2. noun A trick played out as an ingenious, but artful, ruse.
  3. noun A strategic maneuver that uses some clever means to avoid detection or capture.
  4. noun A tactical move to gain advantage.

device — full definition

  1. noun A piece of equipment, especially electronic or mechanical, built to perform a specific job.
  2. noun A scheme or trick, often meant to deceive or gain advantage.
  3. noun A technique a writer or speaker uses deliberately to create an effect, such as a rhetorical or literary device.

Related French words