as in inattention
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Recent Examples of inattentiveness
Attorneys representing inmates there said the facility’s culture of violence and inattentiveness led to two suicides and at least 10 severe beatings and stabbings in its final year of operation.
—
Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 11 Mar. 2026
That inattentiveness to cleaning the floor extended to the bottom shelf of a kitchen prep table and the top shelf of a prep table next to the cookline, each shelf dotted with 100 rodent droppings.
—David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 19 Dec. 2025
Three moments from yet another winless day in the Windy City laid Pittsburgh's inattentiveness to detail bare for all to see.
—CBS News, 25 Nov. 2025
At other times, the result can be both immediate and devastating, as seen in many traffic accidents caused by impatience, inattentiveness, or rashness.
—Mary Crossan, Forbes.com, 16 Aug. 2025
Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 11 Mar. 2026
That inattentiveness to cleaning the floor extended to the bottom shelf of a kitchen prep table and the top shelf of a prep table next to the cookline, each shelf dotted with 100 rodent droppings.
—David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 19 Dec. 2025
Three moments from yet another winless day in the Windy City laid Pittsburgh's inattentiveness to detail bare for all to see.
—CBS News, 25 Nov. 2025
At other times, the result can be both immediate and devastating, as seen in many traffic accidents caused by impatience, inattentiveness, or rashness.
—Mary Crossan, Forbes.com, 16 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inattentiveness
Noun
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Because of their inattention or intentional decision to swear or affirm loyalty to California’s Constitution, other California US Congressional candidates are legally and morally bound to both the US and California constitutions, effectively preventing effective legislation at the federal level.—
Linh Tat,
Oc Register,
4 May 2026
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These effects of past trauma can be easily confused with hyperactivity and inattention, classic signs of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and children may incorrectly receive this diagnosis if caregivers and doctors do not realize the effects of trauma on development.—
Dr. Andrew Garner,
Boston Herald,
12 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Up to 60% of women experience it as confusion, difficulty concentrating, and forgetfulness that is estrogen-specific, not just aging.—
Torie Bosch,
STAT,
2 May 2026
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Symptoms of menopause include hot flashes, sleep issues, joint and muscle discomfort, night sweats, forgetfulness, moodiness, and irritability.—
Laura Schober,
Health,
23 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The company has built its identity around taking AI safety more seriously than its rivals, creating sky-high expectations for model security that jar with its apparent carelessness; the fact that Mythos was exposed through such a basic and predictable failure only underscores that.—
Robert Hart,
The Verge,
23 Apr. 2026
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Most bark problems come from carelessness from mowing or weed-eating too close to the tree, stripping off the bark and allowing entry.—
Steve Bender,
Southern Living,
23 Apr. 2026
Noun
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As for inventions, accident and inadvertence played a role in the development of Post-it Notes and microwave heating.—
Amanda Foreman,
WSJ,
4 May 2018
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The history of the game proceeded through intelligence, but also through inadvertence.—
JAY CASPIAN KANG,
New York Times,
28 Mar. 2017
Noun
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Again, what is lost is inadvertency and the element of surprise — the sense that the power of the image is independent of the photographer’s plans.—
TEJU COLE,
New York Times,
18 Oct. 2016
Noun
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By widening the lens, Clark is able to redirect the book’s gaze from the mother toward a quizzical, sometimes critical, but not unaffectionate portrait of two generations of political activism, with the attendant self-involvement and domestic negligence.—
James Wood,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
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His attorney argued that the charges should be reduced to involuntary manslaughter and that prosecutors couldn’t prove more than criminal negligence.—
Nate Gartrell,
Mercury News,
4 May 2026
Noun
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Lower lids folded inward, placing optic nerves under duress, a literal reflection of breeder shortsightedness.—
Andrew Norman Wilson,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Feb. 2026
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In a historic example of incredible shortsightedness, Democratic leadership first used the far left for its own fleeting political advantage.—
Chris Roemer,
Baltimore Sun,
7 Feb. 2026
Noun
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His obliviousness is what’s also somewhat endearing but also what’s grounding.—
Carly Thomas,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Apr. 2026
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After a two-hour tale of comical deception, betrayal, emotional cruelty, insensitivity and obliviousness, the audience is expected to swallow a message of caring and community.—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
27 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Inattentiveness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inattentiveness. Accessed 10 May. 2026.
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