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

• unsafe
• reckless
• regardless

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

The 24-year-old man was charged with involuntary manslaughter, careless discharge causing death and a separate firearm charge, officials say. —Mike Stunson, Kansas City Star, 4 Aug. 2025

The plea deal dropped an additional charge of careless driving resulting in death from his case, court records show. —Katie Langford, Denver Post, 2 Aug. 2025

McGee was charged in October 2019 with careless driving and didn’t contest the charges. —Lora Kolodny, CNBC, 1 Aug. 2025

Betrayal beyond one’s control may involve situations like forgetting an important date due to stress or feeling overwhelmed, hurting others’ feelings unintentionally by making careless comments or blunders made out of misunderstanding rather than malice. —Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 31 July 2025

Word History

Etymology

see care entry 1

First Known Use

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

Rhymes for careless

• airless
• hairless

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