careless

adjective

care·less | \ ˈker-ləs

Definition of careless

1a : 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

Other Words from careless Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about careless

Keep scrolling for more

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

In a world in which well-meaning but sometimes careless biologists are creating dangerous organisms in the lab, such accidental release events could prove even more frightening. — R. Daniel Bressler, Vox, "“Designer bugs”: how the next pandemic might come from a lab," 6 Dec. 2018 That one company or another has harvested your data or left it unsecured because that company is specifically and particularly greedy, incompetent, or careless. — Eric Limer, Popular Mechanics, "Tech Companies Shouldn't Make Us Trust Them, At All," 11 Jan. 2019 But Facebook was sloppy and careless with your data, and most users had no idea that these partnerships exist. — Recode Staff, Recode, "Recode Daily: Another damning Facebook data-privacy report — and a new lawsuit — sink the social network’s shares," 20 Dec. 2018 And my last turnover was just very, very careless on Terry Rozier. — Michael Singer, USA TODAY, "LeBron James shows off uncanny memory with precise recall of all six Game 5 turnovers," 24 May 2018 With characters—aunts and uncles, careless teachers, indifferent construction workers, bosses, girls, and thugs!— people who looked and felt real, if not a little subdued, in their colorations. — Tom Chiarella, Popular Mechanics, "Stan Lee Taught Me to Love Storytelling," 13 Nov. 2018 The Cook County medical examiner’s office said Braschko died from thermal injuries caused by careless use of smoking materials, and her death was determined to be an accident. — Chicago Tribune Staff, chicagotribune.com, "Woman dies following fire at Rolling Meadows home," 17 Apr. 2018 Every year, some 700,000 deaths are attributed to pathogens that are resistant to penicillin and other drugs designed to kill them — largely in response to overprescription and careless disposal. — Jonathon Keats, Discover Magazine, "Bacteria That Eat Drugs Could Help Solve the Antibiotic Resistance Crisis," 8 Nov. 2018 But the more Mehl learned about what occurred at the fertility center—the careless way her precious genetic material was handled, and how the industry as a whole lacks government oversight and regulation—her furor bubbled. — Kayla Webley Adler, Marie Claire, "When Your Dreams of Motherhood Are Destroyed," 1 Oct. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'careless.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.