Definition of artlessnext
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Synonym Chooser

How is the word artless different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of artless are ingenuous, naive, natural, and unsophisticated. While all these words mean "free from pretension or calculation," artless suggests a naturalness resulting from unawareness of the effect one is producing on others.

artless charm

When is it sensible to use ingenuous instead of artless?

While the synonyms ingenuous and artless are close in meaning, ingenuous implies inability to disguise or conceal one's feelings or intentions.

the ingenuous enthusiasm of children

When would naive be a good substitute for artless?

Although the words naive and artless have much in common, naive suggests lack of worldly wisdom often connoting credulousness and unchecked innocence.

politically naive

Where would natural be a reasonable alternative to artless?

While in some cases nearly identical to artless, natural implies lacking artificiality and self-consciousness and having a spontaneousness suggesting the natural rather than the man-made world.

her unaffected, natural manner

When might unsophisticated be a better fit than artless?

The synonyms unsophisticated and artless are sometimes interchangeable, but unsophisticated implies a lack of experience and training necessary for social ease and adroitness.

unsophisticated adolescents

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of artless Viewers, meanwhile, get artless plots with familiar faces in glamorous locations that offered decent tax incentives. Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 4 Dec. 2025 In her practice, Palazzolo focuses heavily on industrial materials as a way of turning things perceived as artless or overtly masculine on their head. Mario Rodriguez, Miami Herald, 23 Oct. 2025 While the naked manicure trend has been reigning supreme among celebrities, Dua Lipa has forwent the current nail artless aesthetic for something altogether more starry and summer-ready. Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 26 May 2025 First adapted for the screen by Otto Preminger in 1958, the film starred David Niven and Jean Seberg, forever conflating the author in the public imagination with the artless allure — and iconic haircut — of Ms. Seberg. Sadie Stein, New York Times, 14 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for artless
Recent Examples of Synonyms for artless
Adjective
  • Léa Seydoux gives a very committed, unaffected performance as Lucy, an experimental pianist who must deal with the dawning knowledge that her beloved husband Philip (Laurence Rupp) has a second life online as a pedophile pornographer.
    Stephanie Bunbury, Deadline, 15 May 2026
  • French authorities had initially ordered over 1,700 passengers and crew on The Ambition cruise ship to remain on board, but then decided late Wednesday to let those unaffected disembark.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 14 May 2026
Adjective
  • But less fine is Kreutzer’s decision to make Kühn’s own domestic challenges a parallel story, set up in clumsy counterpoint with Lucy’s.
    Stephanie Bunbury, Deadline, 15 May 2026
  • Salmonflies, however, are bigger and clumsier than smaller insects like mayflies.
    Dac Collins, Outdoor Life, 14 May 2026
Adjective
  • Where Soap was straightforwardly in the realm of sitcom—leaning toward broad humor, underlined stylistically by the presence of a laugh track—Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman knew just how to strike that sweet spot between screw-loose absurdity and genuine pathos.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 18 May 2026
  • The service Service is unfailingly warm, genuine, and solicitous—if occasionally slow.
    Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 May 2026
Adjective
  • Petrie didn’t only celebrate his own hits but pointed to rival shows like Sky’s Saturday Night Live UK and Prime Video’s Last One Laughing as proof that British comedy is in rude health.
    Max Goldbart, Deadline, 13 May 2026
  • Elizabeth continues to be an infuriating character, interrupting with rude and unhelpful asides throughout the entire family meeting, casually gnawing on an orange slice as Greg and Katie have a heart-to-heart across the table.
    Erin Qualey, Vulture, 11 May 2026
Adjective
  • Colicchio is honest enough to walk up to that line and examine it.
    Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 16 May 2026
  • Because either McCluskie is one heck of a con man who rolled both Becerra and Williamson, making both believe what was happening was kosher with entirely different tales, or someone isn’t being entirely honest.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 15 May 2026
Adjective
  • The useful answer may be simpler than expected once the real priority becomes obvious.
    Tarot.com, Hartford Courant, 14 May 2026
  • The decor with sheepskin rugs and arm lamps for reading lights is neither flashy nor overtly quirky, but simple and homey, as if it were designed by a tasteful Scandinavian grandmother who relocated to the wilds of Patagonia.
    Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 14 May 2026
Adjective
  • In a region of rough roads, Chispa is among the roughest.
    Rachel Monroe, New Yorker, 14 May 2026
  • That is often billed as a finishing school for footballing talent, but graduates inevitably remain rough around the edges.
    Matt Woosnam, New York Times, 13 May 2026
Adjective
  • These armed hostilities have maimed, mutilated and killed millions of human beings — many of them innocent civilians.
    Letters to the Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 14 May 2026
  • Becerra may have been an innocent victim, but $120,000 a year is a lot of money to pay someone to babysit a largely unused stack of cash.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 14 May 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Artless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/artless. Accessed 20 May. 2026.

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