as in careless
not paying or showing close attention especially for the purpose of avoiding trouble
an incautious comment got her in political hot water
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Recent Examples of incautious
The pace of activity quickens in the final few days and the last hours can be especially perilous to the public interest as legislators make incautious deals to get their own languishing proposals passed.
—
Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 4 May 2024
Nationalists call on the state to punish disloyal actors, such as Western brands, Chinese feminists, and incautious celebrities.
—Chang Che, The New Yorker, 26 Mar. 2024
Yet that may send the message that both borrowers and lenders can continue pursuing incautious practices in the expectation of a bailout.
—Keith Bradsher, New York Times, 30 Sep. 2023
And of course, panic made people incautious.
—Los Angeles Times, 22 Mar. 2022
See All Example Sentences for incautious
Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 4 May 2024
Nationalists call on the state to punish disloyal actors, such as Western brands, Chinese feminists, and incautious celebrities.
—Chang Che, The New Yorker, 26 Mar. 2024
Yet that may send the message that both borrowers and lenders can continue pursuing incautious practices in the expectation of a bailout.
—Keith Bradsher, New York Times, 30 Sep. 2023
And of course, panic made people incautious.
—Los Angeles Times, 22 Mar. 2022
See All Example Sentences for incautious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for incautious
Adjective
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When a newspaper is felled by careless or malicious owners, millions of people are hurt, in big ways and small ways and ways that are impossible to measure.—
Alexandra Petri,
The Atlantic,
5 Feb. 2026
-
Karlsson was on the wrong side of the puck all evening, made careless decisions and generally played a thoughtless game.—
Josh Yohe,
New York Times,
3 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The protections, known as the Flores Settlement Agreement, trace back to a 1985 class-action lawsuit against the federal government alleging that immigrant children were being held in unsafe conditions.—
Mike Hixenbaugh,
NBC news,
6 Feb. 2026
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Revelations in 2020 that Boohoo’s Leicester contractors were subjecting their workers to exploitative pay and unsafe conditions certainly sullied the Midlands city’s reputation.—
Jasmin Malik Chua,
Sourcing Journal,
6 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Later that month, a reckless driver trying to flee police hit and killed a 28-year-old man.—
Francesca Pica,
jsonline.com,
26 Jan. 2026
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The Oceanside City Council recently revised their e-bike ordinance to allow law enforcement to confiscate e-bikes from reckless riders.—
Hannah Elsmore,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Incautious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/incautious. Accessed 9 Feb. 2026.
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