careless

adjective

care·​less ˈker-ləs 

1

a

: free from care : untroubled

careless days

b

: indifferent, unconcerned

careless of the consequences

2

: not taking care

My brother was too careless of his charge.

—Shakespeare

3

: not showing or receiving care:

a

: negligent, slovenly

careless writing

b

: unstudied, spontaneous

a careless grace

a careless glance

c

obsolete : unvalued, disregarded

carelessly adverb

carelessness noun

Synonyms

• heedless
• incautious
• mindless
• unguarded
• unsafe
• unwary

Examples of careless in a Sentence

He is a careless worker.

She was careless with my things.

It was a careless mistake.

a newspaper known for careless reporting

Recent Examples on the Web

The team held a multiple-point lead with seconds to go, but careless defense and turnovers cost them. —Ron Estes, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Mar. 2025

Top-four defencemen Darnell Nurse and Jake Walman were also careless with the puck at times. —Daniel Nugent-Bowman, New York Times, 27 Mar. 2025

Desperate for youth and beauty, Elisabeth’s new younger self (who names herself Sue) quickly gets careless and starts overusing her time, which causes Elisabeth’s body to rot away. —Keith Langston, People.com, 28 Feb. 2025

Natasha seems headstrong and careless of her sister’s feelings. —April Austin, The Christian Science Monitor, 27 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

see care entry 1

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for careless

• airless
• hairless

Kids Definition

careless

adjective

care·​less ˈke(ə)r-ləs 

ˈka(ə)r-

1

: free from care : not troubled

2

: not taking proper care

a careless worker

3

: done, made, or said without proper care

a careless mistake

carelessly adverb

carelessness noun

Legal Definition

careless

adjective

care·​less

: not showing due care : negligent

careless driving

compare reckless