artless

American  

[ahrt-lis] / ˈɑrt lɪs /

adjective

1. free from deceit, cunning, or craftiness; ingenuous.

   an artless child.

   Synonyms:

   sincere, candid, unaffected, plain, frank, open, guileless, unsophisticated, naive

   Antonyms:

   cunning

2. not artificial; natural; simple; uncontrived.

   artless beauty; artless charm.

3. lacking art, knowledge, or skill.

4. poorly made; inartistic; clumsy; crude.

   an artless translation.

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artless British  

/ ˈɑːtlɪs /

adjective

1. free from deceit, guile, or artfulness; ingenuous

   an artless remark

2. natural, without artifice; unpretentious

   artless elegance

3. without art or skill

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Other Word Forms

• artlessly adverb
• artlessness noun

Etymology

Origin of artless

First recorded in 1580–90; art ¹ + -less

Example Sentences

What’s more, if the candidates are unwilling to say anything new and provocative from day to day, the media, to the extent they cover them at all, will focus on their misstatements and artless dodges.

From Salon • Oct. 22, 2024

Not too crusty, not too knobby, so artless as to be almost invisible.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 9, 2022

“Potato Dreams of America” is a well-meaning mishmash of a movie memoir whose sometimes questionable narrative and visual choices one suspects — or at least hopes — are more intentional than artless.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 13, 2022

Roger Goodell has a last chance to rescue his reputation as an NFL commissioner, and maybe even become an important one, despite years of artless dodging on issues from domestic violence to Deflategate.

From Washington Post • Oct. 18, 2021

He found him shooting jump shots from the top of the key, hard, artless shots with almost no arch.

From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy