French Conversation · Level 104
60 words
French word
artifice
Pronunciation
IPA/aʁtifis/
Meaning
- masculine nountrick
Example
Il a utilisé un artifice pour éviter la question.
He used a trick to avoid the question.
More examples
Elle parle sans artifice et paraît sincère.
She speaks without pretense and appears sincere.
Core concept
A polished trick, object, or turn of phrase placed between an observer and the truth.
Common phrases
sans artifice
without pretense
un artifice rhétorique
a rhetorical device
Similar words
truc: A simple practical trick that quickly solves a problem or eases a task.
ruse: A cunning scheme devised to deceive someone.
Definition in French
Désigne une manœuvre, verbale ou matérielle, destinée à masquer la réalité ou à tromper autrui.
Word origin
The French noun artifice continues Latin artificium, a word for skilled workmanship whose later senses extended from clever construction to deceptive contrivance.
Usage tips
- Artifice is more formal and often more critical than astuce or truc, which are common neutral or familiar choices for a clever trick.
Other meanings
- stratagemnoun
- devicenoun
Opposites
- authenticitéauthenticitynoun
- sincéritésinceritynoun
Related words
- artificielartificialadjective
- artificiellementartificiallyadverb