unobservant

adjective

un·​ob·​ser·​vant ˌən-əb-ˈzər-vənt 

: not observant: such as

a

: not watchful or attentive

unobservant of other people

unobservant passersby

b

: not careful to follow religious teachings or practices

… a religious adventure that transformed a 34-year-old unobservant Jew to one of the leaders of the Jewish renewal movement …

—Publishers Weekly

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

Love can be unobservant, so if your friends aren’t wild about your new partner, that can be a great reality check, Adekunle says. —Natanya Biskar, SELF, 21 Feb. 2022

Even the most unobservant can’t fail to have noticed that mindfulness is everywhere, from gym classes to apps and corporate wellness programs. —Popular Science, 2 Jan. 2020

Kia does an excellent job of making both hybrids feel like normal cars, so the unobservant passenger might never notice a difference between an Optima with an electric motor and one without. —Car and Driver, 22 Feb. 2018

With a compliant or unobservant casino, that money can be reported as gambling winnings to the I.R.S. and deposited into a U.S. bank with minimal questioning. —Adam Davidson, The New Yorker, 12 May 2017

Word History

First Known Use

1615, in the meaning defined above