Did you by any chance mean one of these? artful, cartful
Definitions
Wiktionary
- adj. Awkwardly expressed but not necessarily untrue; impolitic; ill-phrased; inexpedient; clumsy.
Etymologies
- in- + artful. (Wiktionary)
Examples
“So yesterday Eugene asked me why the word inartful meaning ‘unskillfully’ wasn’t in any dictionary that he’d consulted, including the OED and all the dictionaries you can search through onelook.com.”
“Rick Sanchez issued a public apology Wednesday, calling his comments about Jon Stewart "inartful" and "mangled," according to a statement obtained by Variety.”
“In the statement, the 52-year-old said he had a very good conversation with Jon Stewart on Monday when he was able to apologize for his "inartful" comments.”
“Rick Sanchez publicly apologizes for "inartful" comments”
Rick Sanchez Apologizes on GMA: "I Have to Stand Up and Be Responsible"
“Toomey defended a years-old remark in which he suggested getting rid of corporate taxes, saying it was "inartful" and was "never a serious policy proposal.”
“Nearly a week after making the controversial comments that got him fired from CNN, Rick Sanchez released a statement Wednesday apologizing for what he called "inartful," "tired and mangled" words that he said "were never intended to suggest any sort of narrow-mindedness and should never have been made.”
“By the way, Wilson may have been "inartful", but he was right. kevin”
“In a rant that he later described as "inartful," Gibbs unloaded on what he called the "professional left" and said they were out of touch with reality.”
The Washington Post: Robert Gibbs, putting things a little too plainly
“Robert Gibbs, under fire for his attack on the "professional left," sends over a statement walking it back, conceding it was "inartful," and clarifying that the views he expressed frustration about are not widely held:”
The Washington Post: Robert Gibbs concedes attack on left was "inartful"
“Within hours of the interview being published, Gibbs tried to walk back his remarks, calling them "inartful".”
The Guardian: Robert Gibbs says leftwing critics of Obama 'ought to be drug tested'
Lists
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Tweets
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reesetee A rather inartful word. ;-) Apr 28, 2008
optimusprime This is used by lawyers, especially those who deal with patents. In the US patent system, a construct used is the notion of a "person having ordinary skill in the art," such a person having different knowledge and skills according to the art at issue. Thus, the notion of "inartful."
It might refer to an amendment to a pending patent application that, due to unskillfulness, prejudices the application, ie, needlessly narrows the scope of the claims. Apr 26, 2008