as in negligence
failure to carefully think about, listen to, or watch someone or something
Many traffic accidents are the result of driver inattention. They lost several potential clients through their inattention to detail.
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of inattention
One moment of inattention can lead to major security breaches.
—
Maxwell Alles, Forbes.com, 14 May 2025
Standard on all Defender models is forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, lane-keeping assist, blind-spot warning and a driver inattention warning system.
—James Raia, Mercury News, 27 Apr. 2025
The surveys also tested the participants’ psychopathologies, including their risk of common mental health conditions and of specific symptoms, like fear, fatigue, sleeplessness, and inattention.
—Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 2 May 2025
The second Trump administration inherits these contradictory tendencies of attention and inattention.
—Ken Opalo, Foreign Affairs, 4 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for inattention
Maxwell Alles, Forbes.com, 14 May 2025
Standard on all Defender models is forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, lane-keeping assist, blind-spot warning and a driver inattention warning system.
—James Raia, Mercury News, 27 Apr. 2025
The surveys also tested the participants’ psychopathologies, including their risk of common mental health conditions and of specific symptoms, like fear, fatigue, sleeplessness, and inattention.
—Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 2 May 2025
The second Trump administration inherits these contradictory tendencies of attention and inattention.
—Ken Opalo, Foreign Affairs, 4 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for inattention
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inattention
negligence
Noun
-
Boat operator negligence or DUI – The Coast Guard also states that negligent operation — including drinking, speeding, or unsafe boating — can lead to fines up to $5,000 and imprisonment.—
Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado,
Sacbee.com,
24 June 2025
-
In the early hours of June 14, 2017, residents of Grenfell Tower were caught off guard by a deadly fire that would turn the building into an international symbol of negligence and injustice.—
Time,
Time,
20 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Inattention.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inattention. Accessed 4 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share