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 female driver, whose name has not been released, was charged with careless driving causing injury, according to WPBF and WFOR-TV. —Anna Lazarus Caplan, People.com, 23 Oct. 2024

If companies are careless, AI will replicate the same biases as human decision-making. —Dr. Vic Baker, Forbes, 16 Oct. 2024

While Boeing carries much blame for its demise, notably careless quality control in aircraft maintenance that caused a number of accidents and near accidents, government policy and union demands assure there will be no recovery. —Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 15 Oct. 2024

Cave desecration can involve the careless discarding of a Flaming Hot Cheetos bag. —Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi, Discover Magazine, 24 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

see care entry 1

First Known Use

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

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