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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

Examples 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 Jean Seberg and Jean-Paul Belmondo are Patricia and Michel, the gamine and the criminal, simultaneously artless and deliberate. Ew Staff, EW.com, 7 May 2024 His pictures look perfectly artless, the opposite of the decisive moment and the epitome of the snapshot aesthetic. Vince Aletti, The New Yorker, 29 Jan. 2024 Cosentino has a rich, burly voice that’s unpretentious without feeling artless. Amanda Petrusich, The New Yorker, 31 July 2023 On some slow or rainy day, when the tennis at Wimbledon is banging and artless as a metronome or suspended by weather, do yourself a favor. Sally Jenkins, Anchorage Daily News, 3 July 2023 See all Example Sentences for artless 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for artless
Adjective
  • This ensures that day-to-day administration and critical state functions remain unaffected.
    David Faris, Newsweek, 27 Dec. 2024
  • Phoenix police said in an 11:15 p.m. post on X, formerly Twitter, that Sky Harbor operations later resumed and flights were unaffected by the shooting investigation.
    Jose R. Gonzalez, The Arizona Republic, 26 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • Far from prolific in front of goal, the Senegalese looked out of sorts, full of running and hunger to score but clumsy, his anxious limbs snatching at chances rather than taking them naturally.
    Henry Flynn, Forbes, 17 Dec. 2024
  • The first few episodes were rife with clumsy and, at times, confusing time jumps, many that seemed tacked on to preexisting scenes in an effort to retrofit them for a new, Costner-less reality.
    Kristen Baldwin, EW.com, 16 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • Modernization should be driven by genuine needs, not trends.
    Siddharth Gawshinde, Forbes, 19 Dec. 2024
  • Taking care of yourself, physically and emotionally, is impossible without genuine downtime.
    Erica Sloan, SELF, 19 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • Recently, Amy's sister, Tammy Slaton, faced criticism for being rude to her in a November episode of 1,000-lb.
    Benedict Cosgrove, Newsweek, 20 Dec. 2024
  • Eye contact, valued in some cultures as a sign of openness and candor, might be seen as rude or intrusive elsewhere.
    Carol Kinsey Goman, Ph.D., Forbes, 12 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • The object of the game is simple: You’re dropped on a desert island with the goal of decorating it to create a paradise.
    Sarah Felbin, SELF, 31 Dec. 2024
  • The answer is simple: College football needs a new calendar to make a great game better and save it from itself.
    Scott Dochterman, The Athletic, 31 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • As a result of these attacks, Russia's average daily production of crude oil in 2024 hit 1,254 metric tons per day, its lowest since 2005.
    George Monastiriakos, Newsweek, 31 Dec. 2024
  • The ship detained by Finland passed over the cables, investigators say Finnish investigators have detained the Eagle S, a 70,000-ton crude oil tanker registered in the Cook Islands.
    Rebecca Rosman, NPR, 31 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • The actress, who plays an attorney and de facto detective, allows an honest revelation.
    Ralphie Aversa, USA TODAY, 20 Dec. 2024
  • Below, take a look at our editors’ honest reviews of their favorite Jones Road beauty products.
    Jennifer Hussein, Allure, 19 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • As decorative lights sparkle while the sun retreats, and rough winds hustle us to holiday parties indoors, most of us feel some mix of merriment and bleakness.
    Amanda Parrish Morgan, The Atlantic, 23 Dec. 2024
  • For key factors, such as tenure and years of experience, companies frequently rely on rough estimates from HR.
    Lyssa Hansard, Forbes, 23 Dec. 2024

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Cite this Entry

“Artless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/artless. Accessed 4 Jan. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on artless

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