careless

adjective

care·​less ˈker-ləs How to pronounce careless (audio)
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

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 But the revolution, and the Russian annexation of Crimea and the war in the Donbas that followed, also triggered careless destruction of Kyiv’s Soviet-era public spaces, as nationalists took out their frustrations at the present on the monuments of the past. Jason Farago, New York Times, 3 Nov. 2023 Weighing the extinction of species through our careless stewardship of nature’s bounty against the near-term cost of regulation demonstrates human shortsightedness at best, and stupidity and cynicism at worst. Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 24 Oct. 2023 Netanyahu sat there, mute and impassive, uncharacteristically careless about the optics. Ruth Margalit, New York Times, 27 Sep. 2023 The careless penalties don’t include the blunder that led to Indiana State’s only points of the night. Zion Brown, The Indianapolis Star, 9 Sep. 2023 That’s part of why she’s chosen by Diane as a disrupter, because there’s something brave and audacious and bold and careless about her. Deborah Treisman, The New Yorker, 3 Sep. 2023 The driver was issued citations for driving under the influence of intoxicants, no operator’s license, driving uninsured, unsafe passing on the right, failure to obey a traffic control device, failure to drive within the lane and careless driving contributing to an accident. The Oregonian, oregonlive, 5 Aug. 2023 Prosecutors had earlier determined that Reyes Martinez’s driving, while careless, did not meet the threshold of Maryland’s vehicle manslaughter laws, a conclusion that Daniel Langenkamp said in an interview highlights a gap in state law. Dan Morse, Washington Post, 25 Sep. 2023 Martinez detained the woman for driving under the influence and careless driving. Kerry Breen, CBS News, 22 Sep. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'careless.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

see care entry 1

First Known Use

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of careless was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near careless

Cite this Entry

“Careless.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/careless. Accessed 28 Nov. 2023.

Kids Definition

careless

adjective
care·​less ˈke(ə)r-ləs How to pronounce careless (audio)
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

More from Merriam-Webster on careless

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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