artful

[picard81]

Does artful must be cosidered always in a negative way or depends by the context?
Thanks.
Picard

 

[bibliolept]

I think that the context would determine whether you can consider artful to have a negative or pejorative connotation; in some cases, it just means "skilled" or "deft."

 

[picard81]

Thank you bibliolept!

 

[Trisia]

I talked about this word with BE speakers once, and they said that, for them, it always had a negative connotation.
I have no idea if it's just a regional thing or not (but I'll add that one of them was an English teacher).

 

[bibliolept]

I talked about this word with BE speakers once, and they said that, for them, it always had a negative connotation.
I have no idea if it's just a regional thing or not (but I'll add that one of them was an English teacher).

Maybe they keep thinking of the Artful Dodger.