Make Your Point > Archived Issues > ARTIFICE
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If you happen to know the Latin word facere, meaning "to make or do," you can recognize it in oodles of English words.
The word "artifice" traces back through French to a Latin word, artificium, that meant "a craft, an art, a trade, or a profession." Inside that word artificium, you can see bits that mean "making or doing" (facere) "art" (ars).
Part of speech:
Pick the formal, common word "artifice" when you want to point out how someone's actions are both skilled and manipulative.
"In 'The Golden Bachelor'... [women are] competing for the same guy within the stressful artifice of a reality show."
Explain the meaning of "artifice" without saying "maneuvers" or "machinations."
According to a writer for Salon, in the late 1970s, the popular music industry was full of artifice: the one-size-fits-all kind of artifice that turns music into "a manufactured product designed to cater to the masses." Rebelling against this artifice were bands like the Sex Pistols, who made music to "reflect genuine emotions and experiences."
Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.
1.
The opposite of ARTIFICE could be
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