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

Early Russian efforts to send reinforcements were countered with High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) strikes, destroying columns of Russian troops that were careless in their positioning. —Michael Kofman, Foreign Affairs, 2 Sep. 2024

The anger is partly at the idea that any campaign would be careless enough in their security to allow this to happen again. —Philip Elliott, TIME, 14 Aug. 2024

More than one person has apologized for not realizing what was going on — as though a man who kept secrets for the U.S. government would be careless enough to get caught — and their unwarranted guilt is a kindness, too. —Soma Mei Sheng Frazier, Peoplemag, 20 July 2024

Lately, the scuffling has been aided by careless play. —Gary Phillips, Hartford Courant, 8 July 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