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Performed with, or characterized by, art or skill. [Archaic] "Artful strains." "Artful terms." Milton.

In an artful manner; with art or cunning; skillfully; dexterously; craftily.

The quality of being artful; art; cunning; craft.

Apt to start; skittish. [R.]

Aptness to start. [R.]

Lacking art or skill; artless. Congreve. -- Un*art"ful*ly, adv. Swift. Burke.

put on a pretense of; to feign; to assume; as, to affect ignorance. Careless she is with artful care, Affecting to seem unaffected. Congreve. Thou dost affect my manners. Shak.

Artful or skillful contrivance. His [Congreve's] plots were constructed without much artifice. Craik.

A cunning or artful fellow. [Obs.] B. Jonson.

Artful; cunning; crafty. [Obs.] Shak.

Craftily; artfully. [Obs.] Sharp dissembled so artificially. Bp. Burnet.

An artful person; a schemer. [Obs.]

r used by thieves to wrench doors open. [Written also bettee.] The powerful betty, or the artful picklock. Arbuthnot.

or act expressive of affection or kindness, and tending to win the heart; soft words and artful caresses; cajolery; allurement. Cowering low with blandishment. Milton. Attacked by royal smiles, by female blandishments. Macaulay.

Artful; cunning; shrewd; wary.

The use of artful subterfuge, designed to draw away attention from the merits of a case or question; -- specifically applied to legal proceedings; trickery; chicanery; caviling; sophistry. Prior. To shuffle from them by chicane. Burke. To cut short this, I propound it fairly to your own canscience. Berkeley.…

Adroit; skillful; dexterous; artful. [Obs.] Through his fine handling and his cleanly play. Spenser.

With craft; artfully; cunningly.

Crafty; sly; artful; designid; deceitful. They are resolved to be cunning; let others run the hazard of being sincere. South.

Exhibiting care or nicety; artfully constructed; elaborate; wrought with elegance or skill. To devise curious works. Ex. xxxv. 32 His body couched in a curious bed. Shak.