Standard Lemma guide

artless

adj · 8 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˈɑɹt.lɪs/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɑː(ɹ)tlɪs

1

adj

Meaning 1

Having or displaying no guile, cunning, or deceit.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: artless, callow, childlike, verdant, clueless, credulous, dewy-eyed, cute, fleeceable, foppotee, green, guileless, ingenuous, innocent, jejune, Panglossian, Panglossic, quaint, simple, simple-hearted, simple-minded, starry-eyed, unaffected, undesigning, unpretentious, unsophisticated, untested, unworldly, wide-eyed, immature, born yesterday, wet behind the ears, virgin

Antonyms: artless, callow, childlike, verdant, clueless, credulous, dewy-eyed, cute, fleeceable, foppotee, green, guileless, ingenuous, innocent, jejune, Panglossian, Panglossic, quaint, simple, simple-hearted, simple-minded, starry-eyed, unaffected, undesigning, unpretentious, unsophisticated, untested, unworldly, wide-eyed, immature, born yesterday, wet behind the ears, virgin

2

adj

Meaning 2

Free of artificiality; natural.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • This pendant has artless charm.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adj

Meaning 3

Lacking art, knowledge, or skill; uncultured and ignorant.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

adj

Meaning 4

Poorly made or done; crude.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

adjective

Meaning 5

simple and natural; without cunning or deceit

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • an artless manner
  • artless elegance

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: artful

6

adjective

Meaning 6

characterized by an inability to mask your feelings; not devious

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • an ingenuous admission of responsibility

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: ingenuous

Antonyms: none provided

7

adjective satellite

Meaning 7

(of persons) lacking art or knowledge

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: uncultivated, uncultured

Antonyms: none provided

8

adjective satellite

Meaning 8

showing lack of art

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • an artless translation

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h2er- Proto-Indo-European *h2értis Proto-Italic *artis Latin ars Latin artemder. Old French artbor. Middle English art English art Proto-Indo-European *lewh1- Proto-Indo-European *lewHs-der. Proto-Germanic *leusaną Proto-Germanic *lausaz Proto-Germanic *-lausaz Proto-West Germanic *-laus Old English -lēas Middle English -les English -less English artless From art + -less.

Across languages

Translations

20 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Czech: bezelstný — without guile or cunning
  • Czech: upřímný — without guile or cunning
  • Esperanto: naiva — without guile or cunning
  • Esperanto: simplanima — without guile or cunning
  • Esperanto: senartifika — without guile or cunning
  • Irish: soineanta — without guile or cunning
  • Persian: بیدغل (bi-daġal) — without guile or cunning
  • Persian: بیشیلهپیله (bi-šile-pile) — without guile or cunning
  • Russian: бесхи́тростный (besxítrostnyj) — without guile or cunning
  • Spanish: cándido — without guile or cunning
  • Ottoman Turkish: ساده (sade) — without guile or cunning
  • Ottoman Turkish: طوی (toy) — without guile or cunning
  • Bulgarian: естествен (estestven) — natural
  • Bulgarian: непринуден (neprinuden) — natural
  • Czech: přirozený — natural
  • Czech: nestrojený — natural
  • Czech: prostý — natural
  • Esperanto: senarta — natural
  • Spanish: natural — natural
  • Czech: neumělý — poorly made, crude