ARTLESS Synonyms: 169 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

artless

adjective

ˈärt-ləs

Definition of artless next

as in unaffected

free from any intent to deceive or impress others a genuine and artless girl

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in clumsy

hastily or roughly constructed artless though it may be, our homemade doghouse has a certain charm to it

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 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

Since the law went into effect last month, TikTok — which claims 170 million U.S. users — has remained largely unaffected on American phones that had already downloaded the app.

— Sapna Maheshwari, New York Times, 14 Feb. 2025
More than $50 million in federal funds that Alabama received for this year's Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) was unaffected by Trump's executive order because the funds came from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, al.com reported.

— Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 14 Feb. 2025