as in careless
not paying or showing close attention especially for the purpose of avoiding trouble
an incautious comment got her in political hot water
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Recent Examples of incautious
Thieves on foot or on motorbikes snatch cellphones from incautious tourists.
—
Jon Lee Anderson, New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2025
Clearly, holding single parents legally responsible for incautious, negligent or irresponsible parenting could fill up jails and prisons and impoverish such families completely and radically.
—Ellen Sauerbrey, Baltimore Sun, 18 Aug. 2025
The pace of activity quickens in the final few days and the last hours can be especially perilous to the public interest as legislators make incautious deals to get their own languishing proposals passed.
—Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 4 May 2024
Nationalists call on the state to punish disloyal actors, such as Western brands, Chinese feminists, and incautious celebrities.
—Chang Che, The New Yorker, 26 Mar. 2024
See All Example Sentences for incautious
Jon Lee Anderson, New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2025
Clearly, holding single parents legally responsible for incautious, negligent or irresponsible parenting could fill up jails and prisons and impoverish such families completely and radically.
—Ellen Sauerbrey, Baltimore Sun, 18 Aug. 2025
The pace of activity quickens in the final few days and the last hours can be especially perilous to the public interest as legislators make incautious deals to get their own languishing proposals passed.
—Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 4 May 2024
Nationalists call on the state to punish disloyal actors, such as Western brands, Chinese feminists, and incautious celebrities.
—Chang Che, The New Yorker, 26 Mar. 2024
See All Example Sentences for incautious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for incautious
Adjective
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Rayshawn Cox, 32, was cited on suspicion of careless driving resulting in death and two counts of careless driving causing serious bodily injury, Wheat Ridge police spokesperson Alex Rose said.—
Katie Langford,
Denver Post,
26 May 2026
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Notre Dame’s dominance has been highlighted by relentless fundamentals and limited errors, the perfect antidote to Syracuse’s free-flowing and occasionally careless approach.—
Tribune News Service,
Chicago Tribune,
23 May 2026
Adjective
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Recent heavy rain has also shown weak spots in Atlanta's road infrastructure as major sections of the Atlanta Connector flooded during rush hour traffic, and even forced the Waymo driverless car service to suspend operations as road conditions became too unsafe.—
Irene Wright,
USA Today,
29 May 2026
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The food manager and food handler certificates had expired, some beans were stored at an unsafe temperature and the can opener was dirty.—
Harriet Ramos,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
29 May 2026
Adjective
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He's always been such a commanding force on the screen as both beautifully technical and really reckless.—
Wesley Stenzel,
Entertainment Weekly,
25 May 2026
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Meanwhile, at the federal level, communities are still cleaning up the damage from last year’s reckless cuts.—
Anna V. Eskamani,
The Orlando Sentinel,
24 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Incautious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/incautious. Accessed 30 May. 2026.
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