Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 18, 2024 is: artifice \AHR-tuh-fus\ noun

Artifice refers to dishonest or insincere behavior or speech that is meant to deceive someone. It can also be used to mean "clever or artful skill."

// We found ourselves tremendously moved by his apology, which he made without artifice or pretense.

[See the entry >](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/artifice)

Examples:

"At the time, almost every comedy on air was filmed live in front of a studio audience—or at least pretended to be. Pretty much all of the biggest shows used a laugh track—The Andy Griffith Show, The Beverly Hillbillies, Green Acres. Savvy viewers might have figured out that not all of the giggles and guffaws were real, but few people outside the industry understood the extent of the artifice." — Jacob Stern, The Atlantic, 15 Apr. 2024

Did you know?

Do great actors display artifice or art? Sometimes a bit of both. Artifice stresses creative skill or intelligence, but it also implies a sense of falseness and trickery. [Art](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/art) generally rises above such falseness, suggesting instead an unanalyzable creative force. Actors may rely on some of each, but the personae they display in their roles are usually artificial creations. Therein lies a lexical connection between art and artifice. Artifice comes from artificium, Latin for "artistry, craftmanship, craft, craftiness, and cunning." (That root also gave us the English word [artificial](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/artificial).) Artificium, in turn, developed from ars, the Latin root underlying the word [art](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/art) (and related terms such as [artist](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/artist) and [artisan](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/artisan)).