artlessly.

1. Without calculated craft, concealment or affectation, often in a seemingly natural manner.

2. Without sufficient skill, craft or effective arrangement.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• artlessly explain
• artlessly candid

On the page

She artlessly explained the mistake before considering how the account might reflect on her.

The artlessly candid remark revealed more than the prepared statement.

Usage notes

Primary category: literary / elevated general. Forms: Invariable adverb; use more or most only where natural. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Writing functions: style analysis, interpretation, characterization, rhetorical contrast. Disciplines: literary analysis, prose writing, advanced general English. Commonness: moderately common.