as in negligence
failure to take the care that a cautious person usually takes
the only errors you made were from carelessness, not lack of knowledge
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Recent Examples of carelessness
But the turnovers that are born of carelessness?
—
Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 11 Jan. 2026
Straight-up errors, like the errant pass from James Tarkowski that led to Brentford’s opener, or Tim Iroegbunam’s carelessness before their third, have not been common flaws.
—Greg O'Keeffe, New York Times, 5 Jan. 2026
Their carelessness and abstraction.
—Francesco Pacifico, The Dial, 9 Dec. 2025
Yet the administration’s fiscal and institutional carelessness has begun to test investor faith.
—Lael Brainard, Foreign Affairs, 10 Nov. 2025
By hinting that his business was the victim of shape-shifting saboteurs, Westergaard distracted from the more prosaic story about the carelessness of his staff.
—Ava Kofman, New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2025
That variation isn’t a byproduct of carelessness or confusion.
—Mark Hay, Popular Science, 9 Oct. 2025
Earhart was a complicated woman, highly skilled as a pilot yet with a tendency toward carelessness.
—ArsTechnica, 17 Sep. 2025
Disappointing to see talent overshadowed by carelessness.
—Megan Cartwright, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Sep. 2025
Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 11 Jan. 2026
Straight-up errors, like the errant pass from James Tarkowski that led to Brentford’s opener, or Tim Iroegbunam’s carelessness before their third, have not been common flaws.
—Greg O'Keeffe, New York Times, 5 Jan. 2026
Their carelessness and abstraction.
—Francesco Pacifico, The Dial, 9 Dec. 2025
Yet the administration’s fiscal and institutional carelessness has begun to test investor faith.
—Lael Brainard, Foreign Affairs, 10 Nov. 2025
By hinting that his business was the victim of shape-shifting saboteurs, Westergaard distracted from the more prosaic story about the carelessness of his staff.
—Ava Kofman, New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2025
That variation isn’t a byproduct of carelessness or confusion.
—Mark Hay, Popular Science, 9 Oct. 2025
Earhart was a complicated woman, highly skilled as a pilot yet with a tendency toward carelessness.
—ArsTechnica, 17 Sep. 2025
Disappointing to see talent overshadowed by carelessness.
—Megan Cartwright, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for carelessness
negligence
Noun
-
The lawsuit also alleges WSU was liable for claims of outrageous conduct and other forms of negligence.—
Kevin Fixler,
Idaho Statesman,
8 Jan. 2026
-
The legal claims included negligence, wrongful death, deceptive trade practices, and product liability.—
Beatrice Nolan,
Fortune,
8 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Carelessness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/carelessness. Accessed 18 Jan. 2026.
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