Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
😊 Simple and sincere 🎭 Lacking skill
artless

artless

6.7
Not made or done skillfully
  • adjective
  • /ˈɑrtləs/
translation icon : sin habilidad
  • It is difficult to see how any of the usual senses of the word can apply to Kappata's work: his paintings, with their meticulous draftsmanship, striking compositions, and effective use of color, are anything but artless.

Examples

  • The movie was criticized for its artless storytelling and lack of character development.

  • Yeah, the "47 percent" comment, although based on a partially valid point, was artless and ill-considered, but everyone occasionally says something dumb (he thought it was private).

    Blog text (10)

  • An aging movie actor once told me he'd heard Francis Ford Coppola complaining about an artless, studio-financed 'Mob movie he was working on.

    Academic text (2010)

  • Critics described the painting as artless, lacking the finesse of skilled artists.

  • The author's artless prose made it relatable, but some found it lacking in sophistication.

Synonyms

talentless
vsartless
9 4.3

A person or thing that cannot do something well

describes the produced piece as poorly made or performed not the person's skill
unartful
vsartless
1 7.4

Has little skill and looks clumsy

applies specifically to a work or performance rather than general manner

Antonyms

skillful
34 2.8

Good at doing something because of practice and careful control

How Skillful

inept
49 5.0
artless
6.7
clumsy
73 1.2

Surface Forms

artless positive
artlesser comparative
artlessest superlative

Morphology

artless = art (transparent) = art + less

Directly formed from 'art' (skill) + '-less' meaning 'without skill', which learners can readily infer.

Etymology

Artless can also mean 'without art' in the sense 'without skill', using the same art as in artist or artful. That's why an artless work or performance feels clumsy or not well made.